Wallace Chan will present "Vessels of Other Worlds," a monumental dual-site exhibition across Venice and Shanghai in 2026, coinciding with his 70th birthday and the 61st Venice Biennale. The exhibition premieres on May 8, 2026, at the Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà in Venice, featuring a new series of titanium sculptures inspired by the three sacred oils of the Catholic Church, with a parallel exhibition opening on July 18, 2026, at the Long Museum (West Bund) in Shanghai, where the sculptures will be displayed at a dramatically larger scale. Curated by James Putnam, the project also includes a complementary site-specific exhibition, "Mythos," at Scala Contarini del Bovolo in Venice from April to October 2026.
This exhibition matters because it marks a bold new chapter in Chan's career, expanding his pioneering use of titanium into monumental sculptural forms that bridge Eastern and Western cultural contexts. By staging the show simultaneously in Venice and Shanghai during the Venice Biennale, Chan creates a cross-cultural dialogue that explores themes of spirituality, transformation, and the relationship between tangible and transcendental realms. The project also highlights Chan's continued innovation in material and scale, inviting audiences to experience his work in both intimate chapel settings and vast museum spaces, reinforcing his status as a leading contemporary artist.