Chinese artist Wallace Chan has opened a monumental two-chapter exhibition titled "Vessels of Other Worlds" across Venice and Shanghai, supported by the Long Museum. The Venice chapter is installed in the chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà, featuring stratified titanium vessels inspired by sacred oils, suspended sculptures, and works that blend jewelry, sculpture, and metaphysics. Curated by James Putnam, the show explores themes of time, transformation, and the interconnection of microcosm and macrocosm, with water as a central alchemical element.
This exhibition matters because it represents the most ambitious project to date for Chan, a world-renowned sculptor who has redefined contemporary jewelry over 50 years. By bridging two historically connected cities—Venice and Shanghai—and collapsing boundaries between material, energy, past, and future, Chan challenges conventional hierarchies of scale and medium, positioning his work within a dynamic ecosystem of interdependent forces. The show also highlights the growing global recognition of Chinese contemporary artists and the role of institutions like the Long Museum in supporting cross-cultural dialogue.