Installations combining traditional Chinese lacquer and other materials by French artist Vincent Cazeneuve are shown in the exhibition, Wandering, at Galerie Dumonteil in Shanghai.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"I really would like to let people touch my work to feel it like I did during the production process," he says. "But unfortunately, this can become very messy during a big opening event."

Besides lacquer, Cazeneuve is also recognized for his exploration of a wide range of materials and integrating them with metal, natural fibers and leather. The 15 artworks on exhibition feature a combination of lacquer with materials such as ramie fabric, gold leaves, Moso bamboo and used rice bags.

"These rice bags may have traveled all around China, which makes their roughness a characteristic of beauty," he writes in a creative note.

"My work is all about the transformation and cycle of materials. I paint with materials, rather than paints."