The French Ambassador, Mrs. Siv-Leng Chhuor, and Mrs. Catherine O’brien, owner of i:cat Gallery, launched the exhibition of the latest painted works by the Lao artist Souphaluck Phongsavath, on Oct 21, in front of more of a hundred participants, including the artist, gathered at the French Institute of Laos, in Vientiane.
The French Ambassador praised the quality and originality of the work of Souphaluck, an innovative artist who revisits female forms and the means of expressing their beauty. She was pleased that the French Institute is hosting an exhibition of a new young and talented Lao artist in the service of a feminine expression that is both daring and classic.
She underlined that France supported the promotion of the place of women in society and, in particular, that of young women and girls for a more inclusive world. The French institute is more than ever a bridge between cultures and populations to develop exchanges between nations, visions of the world and promote peace, she said.
Souphaluck Pongsavath is an artist from the province of Sayaboury, although she grew up in Savannaket. She studied in several schools of fine arts and her constancy at work allowed her to obtain recognition in Laos.
In Vientiane, she received the Special Prize during a competition organized in 2009 by the Union of Lao Women and the 2nd prize of the Lao Handicraft Association for the recycling of natural products.
During the health crisis, deprived of her usual material to paint, Souphaluck used the ashes of charcoal resulting from the cooking of family meals, to express her art. She then combines these natural products with a cause that is particularly close to her heart: the place of women in society.
Souphaluck Phongsavath’s exhibition, “Charcoal & Gold” literally painted with the help of charcoal and gold paint, offers works inspired by femininity, whether that of women in mythology, Laotian literature or everyday life.
Before discovering the paintings on display, Kehk, dancer and Souphaluck’s friend, performed a very fine artistic performance. The exhibition of works by Souphaluck Phongsavath can be discovered by the public, free of charge, in the Alix Aymé gallery of the French Institute of Laos, until Nov 10, 2022.

Source: Lao News Agency