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Wallace Chan: Half a Century

Date:2024-07-03 - 2024-10-07
Location:Shanghai Museum East, Bright Dairy & Food Exhibition Gallery 1
Organizer:Shanghai Museum
Special Support:The Palace Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim

Overview

The Shanghai Museum was established as an art museum with a focus not just on ancient art but also on modern and contemporary art. By dedicating efforts to researching, collecting, and showcasing the finest modern and contemporary art, we can broaden new perspectives, connect with the present era, and lay the foundation for future collections. This endeavor is seen as a novel mission for China's museums as they contribute to enriching the nation's modern civilization. In line with this vision, the Shanghai Museum has initiated the "Drawing Inspiration from the Past" exhibition series. This series aims to highlight esteemed modern and contemporary artists from both domestic and international arenas, presenting classic works, pioneering curatorial and exhibition methods, interpreting humanistic values, and drawing wisdom and inspiration from the traditional cultures of East and West. Ultimately, its goal is for us to explore the unknown, challenge ourselves, and embrace the future.

The inaugural exhibition of the series immerses us in the world of Wallace Chan, a prominent jewelry artist of the 21st century. Renowned as the "formidable Chinese" among European jewelers, he has utilized various gemstones and metals in his artistic practice for five decades, guided by a profound appreciation for nature. Drawing poetic inspiration from chan ("cicadas") and incorporating chan ("Zen Buddhism") into his poetry, Chan transcends the boundaries of craftsmanship and contemplation. His half-century career of creative expression can be encapsulated by the verse of Qu Yuan, "The road ahead is long and distant; I will seek high and low."

The essence of art is akin to a flowing river, delving into the spiritual depths of the artist. This exhibition at the Shanghai Museum serves as the most comprehensive retrospective of Wallace Chan, displaying a curated selection of his reflections on time and the universe. This fifty-year span represents Wallace Chan's exploration of the intersections of art and technology, demonstrating the achievement of a Chinese jewelry artist at the pinnacle of his field and, more importantly, signifying a pilgrimage toward spiritual enlightenment.

As the poem by Li Bai goes, "my light boat has passed by myriads of mountains." Similarly, Chan's artistic journey has been an enduring odyssey of brilliance.

Highlights
Eye of Time (Necklace)
Stilled Life (Transformable Jewellery)
Wallace Cut (Carving)
Goddess of Spring (Brooch)
Secret Abyss (Necklace)
Apsara (Transformable Jewellery)
Three Fish in Waves (Brooch)
Metamorphosis (Transformable Jewellery)
Butterfly Nebula (Pair of Brooches)
See and Seen (Brooch)
Soaring Spirit (Brooch)
Return of the King (Transformable Jewellery)
Cosmos (Brooch)
Hera (Transformable Jewellery)
The Beauty of Greatness (Brooch)
More Resources
【Video】 Wallace Chan: Half a Century
【Brochure】 Wallace Chan: Half a Century

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