VIENTIANE, Laos — Marisa Darasavath has made a name for herself as one of the foremost contemporary artists in her home country of Laos. But pay her a compliment about her work, and she reacts humbly, with a giggle or a self-deprecating drop of the head.

In 2013, Ms. Darasavath was one of two contemporary Laotian artists to be featured at the Singapore Biennale. She also participated in Japan’s Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale in 2009 and has had her works exhibited in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Bali. During 2011 she did a two-month residency in Singapore through M Gallery, which is based in Singapore but has an outpost in the Laotian capital, Vientiane. Read more