French artist's devotion to Yi culture leads to innovation in centuries-old Chinese lacquerware tradition

In southwest China's Sichuan Province, long-time resident French artist Vincent Cazeneuve, who also goes by the Chinese name Wensen Qi, is merging traditional Chinese lacquerware skills with techniques taken from Western modern art into his creations.

Born in Toulouse, Cazeneuve has been living in southwest China for more than a decade. His journey to unravel the secrets of Chinese lacquerware and his fascination for lacquer art started with the influence of French artists Jean Dunand and Gaston Suisse.

"My introduction to the world of lacquerware was influenced by French artists Jean Dunand and Gaston Suisse. I studied their artworks. They mainly used Vietnamese and Chinese lacquer, and I often wondered why they used them. In those days, lacquer could not be found in France. I saw Chinese lacquer during my first trip to China and I found out that this is what I'd been looking for," said the artist.

Native to Asia, lacquer trees are cultivated and tapped for their sap, which is toxic in liquid form but can dry as a hard, clear glaze. It is almost impossible to find lacquer trees in Europe. So, instead of continually transporting lacquer back to France, Cazeneuve chose to send himself to China.

"In the beginning, I packed the lacquer into my luggage to take back to France. And I planned to work in my own studio, but it was always hard bringing them back. So, I set up my studio in China, to make my job easier," said the French artist.

Cazeneuve's first trip to China in 2007 inspired him to develop his lacquer art and motivated him to research his creations in more depth. Having explored his connections with lacquer over the years, the artist has also learned a range of techniques, such as traditional weaving, bamboo weaving and topiary, which he has integrated into his own artworks.

To understand more about lacquer techniques, Vincent and his family traveled to Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, which is home to the Yi ethnic group. They are famous for their lacquer craftsmanship, which is used in every aspect of their life.

"I'm really interested in this field. I once tried to make a piece of lacquer coating, but I needed more skills. So, I needed to meet a real craftsman who could actually make this," said Vincent.

In fact, the French artist actually met two lacquerware craftsmen. The first one was Jiwu Wuqie, the 16th generation of his clan in the Yi ethnic group who had inherited his people's art for making lacquerware. And the second person was Yi leather armor master Bai Shi Fuji, who taught Vincent almost everything he knew, demonstrating how to process buffalo skin and how to shape leather body armor.

"I used to know about Yi lacquerware just by looking at it. But I had never seen the Yi people before. I have never heard their language. I've never seen their villages. I used to imagine it. But it's only when I came here, that I felt the power of their culture. Based on its geography, Daliang Mountain is isolated. Its topography is unique, surrounded by mountains. But the Yi people living there keep their traditional culture alive. Even if they seem isolated, it's so wonderful," said Vincent while recalling his field trip.

And this field trip gave the artist new inspiration for his solo exhibition. At his exhibition in Chengdu, Vincent created a work incorporating a branch of a lacquer tree, a lacquer harvester's costume and related tools.

As what is often said by a lacquer harvester, "A hundred miles and a thousand cuts for a catty of lacquer." In Vincent's eyes, these lacquer harvesters deserve to be part of his solo exhibition.

After seeing Vincent's exhibition, Liu Guanzhong, a professor at the School of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University, had something to share.

"What he presents is China in his eyes, the traditional skills of China. He brings life to this skill of lacquer, the renaissance of intangible cultural heritage. Vincent has explored a path: the ideas of a modern artist, but rooting the ancient skills in modern life. He finds new soil for an old seed to bloom into a new flower. And that is what we call innovation," said Liu.

Vincent said everyone can be creative in their respective fields. But another higher level of creativity can result from singular persistence and personal conviction. It's what Vincent continues to discover in his devotion to the lacquer, where he himself rides the wave for promoting the blend between East and West.