Oura Sananikone

2/25

Mr. Sananikone is originally from the country of Laos. Along with his family, he was displaced to the United States due to the Vietnam War. To try to forget this pain, he erased this war completely from his mind and his art. His work took inspiration from many conflicts such as World War I and World War II, however, due to his deep hurt, he never used his experience from the Vietnam War because it was too personal.

He has experimented with many vibrant styles and recently even tried graffiti and murals on the streets near Richmond. I liked how he takes inspirations from things he sees when he travels. His elephant piece which was a representation of Laos immigrants and the Vietnam War was very interesting to see and look at. His pieces have many beautiful layers to them that allow your eyes to wander and keep seeing new details every time.

I was the most surprised and fascinated about how many different mediums of arts he works on. He has created work with spray paint, acrylic, pen and ink illustrations, and even animation. I love his dynamic style that show a lot of action filled scenes.