An artist who uses lacquer to give works a new sheen

French artist Vincent Cazeneuve is so infatuated with lacquer that he named himself after this natural material in Chinese, combining "Wensen", the transliteration of his first name, with "Qi", the Chinese word for lacquer.

The 43-year-old French artist, who has spent more than a decade working with lacquer in the mountains of southwestern China's Chongqing, is now showcasing his works at Galerie Dumonteil in Shanghai.

Titled Wandering, the ongoing exhibition features 15 works, all of which were created in the past year.

"Wensen has come a long way in the exploration of materials, especially lacquer, since his first exhibition with us in Shanghai and Paris two years ago," Jin Yi, a spokesperson with the gallery, said at the opening of the exhibition.

Jin says the Frenchman's creations reveal rich material-based experiences and touches embedded in his ultra-simplistic aesthetic style. The title of the exhibition not only refers to the various natural materials used by the artist, but also depicts nature within the aesthetic context.