SL Gallery opens its doors to elevate Lao art on world stage

A new landmark has quietly but confidently taken shape in the heart of Vientiane. The Swiss-Lao Gallery (SL Gallery) officially opened its doors on Tuesday, bringing fresh energy to the city’s growing art scene and offering Lao artists a powerful bridge to international audiences.
Located at the Royal Square Centre, strategically positioned between the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn in Nongduang-neua village at 20 Samsenthai Road, the gallery offers an elegant and accessible space where Lao paintings can be viewed by both local residents and foreign visitors.
Open daily from 9am to 10pm, the gallery is designed to be as welcoming as it is inspiring.
The gallery is jointly owned by Mr Davone Phachanthavong and Mr Frank Russeck, a Swiss national whose connection with Laos stretches back two decades.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Davone reviewed their partnership, which began in 2005 through real estate and land development projects in areas such as Vangvieng district in Vientiane province and Nongping village in Vientiane.
These areas, he noted, have since benefited from infrastructure development, including railways and highways, which have reshaped economic landscapes and increased land values.
Mr Russeck owns another art shop and gallery, which is located in the suburbs.
The siting of the new gallery midway between the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels aims to provide a central space for Lao artists to showcase their work, as previous exhibitions were often held in places further outside the city.
“If there is money, there is a brain, meaning that when artists have a stable income, they can better focus their creativity on their paintings,” Mr Daovone said.

Mr Russeck has experience buying paintings in Laos and sending them to Switzerland and has seen these paintings increase in value over time.
Despite the high rental cost of the location (over US$2,000 a month), he is committed to the investment to ensure Lao paintings are showcased to foreign tourists and will be exhibited abroad.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the gallery, Mr Russeck said he has been collecting Lao art along with his wife for 20 years.
He previously sold Lao art in Europe and America and wants the new gallery in Vientiane to prove to his international clients that there is a high level of professionalism in the local art scene.
The gallery itself was built in just one and a half months after Mr Russeck first noticed the site last November. Its design philosophy emphasises quality, organisation, and professionalism—standards he compares to galleries in major art capitals such as New York, London, and Paris.
Mr Russeck encourages visitors to take advantage of current prices, guaranteeing that artworks purchased now will double in price in five years once the gallery and its artists gain international exposure.
With its doors now open, the SL Gallery is more than just an exhibition space—it is a promise that Lao art has a place on the global stage, and that its time to shine has truly begun.

By Advertorial Desk
(Latest Update March 5, 2026)