Vong Phaophanit was born in 1961 in Laos. He was educated in France (1972-80), and studied painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Aix-en-Provence (1980-85). Memory plays an important part in Phaophanit's work and his choice of materials, including bamboo, rubber and rice, often reference his Laotian heritage. Although Lao references are an important component of Phaophanit's work, he is often concerned with placing this interest within the context of broader aesthetic and philosophical concerns.
Phaophanit is best known for his sculpture and installations, which employ familiar materials to expose multiple layers of contradictory meaning. An early installation entitled What Falls to the Ground but Cannot be Eaten at the Chisenhale Gallery, London, in 1991 was composed of an austere architectural gateway and a light suspended bamboo installation to create a dialogue between both material and cultural differences. What Falls to the Ground but Cannot be Eaten employed Laotian text on the ceremonial gateway through which one entered the installation. Since then, Phaophanit has frequently used Laotian text in his work. The nine red neon words of Litterae Lacentes (Light Writing) at Killerton Park, Devon, in 1993 were placed on a garden wall where bamboo and palm trees had been planted. He did not translate the words for his audience, in an effort to communicate the challenge of living between cultures.
Most recently, Phaophanit has developed an interest in neon and LED light technology and has worked frequently with architects to develop new ways of working with these materials. He also continues to collaborate extensively with the writer and artist Claire Oboussier, a partnership that has lasted for over 20 years.
Phaophanit exhibits regularly, both in Britain and abroad. He was short listed for the Turner Prize at the Tate Gallery in 1993, where he exhibited his well-known Neon Rice Field, mounds of rice in straight lines covering neon lights. The translucency of the rice caused the mounds to glow around the central, brighter neon core. Azure Neon Body, his installation previously displayed at Goodwood, shows a continued interest in Lao history, in a work that takes its starting point from a Laotian to English dictionary produced by a Lao prince in the 1970s.
Phaophanit's most recent exhibitions were at Shanghai Biennale 2004, Void Gallery in Derry in 2005 and Berlin ('The Tropics') in 2008. Vong Phaophanit lives and works in Exeter and is visiting lecturer at Chelsea College of Art, London.