A photo taken at artist Deng Guoyan's Noah's Garden in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Deng received the remains of his work five months after the explosion, then repaired the ruins and showed it in Tianjin.

Every time his installation is put up, he redecorates it with local plants. He says he enjoys the process of creating a localized Noah's Garden for people in different cities. "Every time it's an experiment and reinvention."

Before turning to installations, Deng made traditional ink paintings based on Chinese gardens. But now he sees his installations as a three-dimensional way to present his paintings.

Speaking of his work, Deng, who is also the head of the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, says: "For the Chinese, gardens are far more than nature. We integrate our philosophies into the gardens. It's a kind of spiritual world."

If you go

10 am-6 pm, Tuesday to Sunday, through Aug 22. Red Brick Art Museum, Hegezhuang village, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-8457-6669.