An exhibition presenting the work of French embroidery artist Lionel Descostes has opened at L'Espace, the French cultural centre in Hanoi.

The exhibition, entitled From a Stroke to a Thread, showcases 40 handmade embroidery pieces on taffeta, made using a single-thread technique and the result of eight years' work by Descostes in Vietnam.

"For me, eight years was a long process of fatigue and pressure, " said Descostes. "But I love Vietnamese embroidery and always wanted to do something to preserve this traditional craft."

Descostes studied visual art and technique in France and decided to live in Vietnam to pursue his love for the nation's traditional embroidery. He also hired hearing-impaired girls from local vocational training centres and trained them for six-nine months to do embroidery.

"The paintings represent my collective work with these Vietnamese girls, whom I found to be very talented and skillful embroiderers, " said Descost at the exhibition opening.

He expressed the view that traditional embroidery could find its place within contemporary art and said that the exhibition would open a new vision for visitors on a popular but little understood artform.

The exhibition runs until March 4 at 24 Trang Tien Street, Hanoi.