Wallace Chan: Transcendence
19th April – 30th September, 2024
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pietà
Riva degli Schiavoni
30122 Venezia VE, Italy
Chinese multidisciplinary artist Wallace Chan, who has pioneered titanium’s unprecedented use for large-scale sculptures, returns to Venice for the third time, with Transcendence, a sculpture exhibition on display from 19 April to 30 September 2024, at the Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà in Venice.
Transcendence is an installation consisting of four large-scale titanium sculptures suspended from the ceiling of the chapel. The exhibition explores the pursuit of a meditative state and how the mind can transcend the normal limits or boundaries of space and time. In a wider context, it represents the notion of transforming conflicts into opportunities for growth and enlightenment.
Chan says: “Transcendence challenges us to consider our corporeal forms and whether we are able to move beyond them. Titanium is a stubborn and rigid material, one which must be understood before it can be tamed. I regard it as the material closest to eternity, and its use in Transcendence emphasises that the desire to achieve an enlightened state is an eternal one.”
808 x 508 x 1500 mm, Wallace Chan
As viewers move through the Chapel, the arrangement of the new sculpture series alludes to a progressive transition, from a state of conflict to one of tranquillity. This juxtaposition is emphasised through Chan’s mastery of titanium, an unexpected material that conveys the ethereal, appearing in a liminal state between liquid and solid. Initiating dialogue with the building’s sacred context and drawing inspiration from Chinese Buddhism, the exhibition also finds natural parallels with its Catholic setting. Inspired by both Christian and Buddhist ideas, Chan sees the universe as ultimately all-embracing.
1223 x 1157 x 3375mm, Wallace Chan
Curator James Putnam says: “This is my third time collaborating with Wallace Chan in Venice, with Transcendence the latest iteration of our explorations of the boundaries between the material and metaphysical. The exhibition is a highly contemplative series, providing viewers the opportunity to transcend from a corporeal earthbound form into the ethereal spiritual realm of Wallace Chan’s work.”
Transcendence follows Chan’s acclaimed September 2023 exhibition, The Wheel of Time, at Christie’s London headquarter, the largest display of his half-a-century art practices to date, encompassing carving, sculpture and jewellery.
Wallace Chan: Transcendence opens on the 19th April until the 30th of September, 2024 at Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pietà
©2024 Wallace Chan
Art Plugged is a contemporary platform inspired by a relationship with the broader arts communities. We provide our audience with curated insight into the world of art, from exhibitions to artist interviews and more.
