Fuzhou is China’s hub for lacquerware and lacquer art. When it comes to Fuzhou bodiless lacquerware, we can’t mention it without acknowledging an important figure—Shen Shaoan. He is the one who revived the Fuzhou bodiless lacquer technique,
which had nearly been lost. Fuzhou lacquerware is one of the finest examples of Chinese bodiless lacquer art. Chinese lacquer art has a history of 8,000 years. Lacquerware is mainly concerned with “vessels”, and these “vessels” carry weight, as they embody the historical depth of Chinese civilization. Fuzhou lacquerware has never been just an isolated art form. It is a life philosophy that runs deep in the people of Fuzhou. Like lacquer, it can embrace everything while staying true to its essence. Like the bodiless lacquer technique, it gains strength over time and is renewed through innovation. Fre, an Italian artist, traces the city’s textures through touch, discovering that this thousand-year-old tradition has long captivated the world.
