TITANS: A Dialogue between Materials, Space and Time, a guided tour by art historian Sona Datta

Curated by James Putnam, "TITANS: A dialogue between materials, space and time" features a series of large-scale titanium and iron sculptures and an immersive installation composed of titanium and mirrored stainless steel, giving an unprecedented survey of Chan's work as a sculptor. Together, this new body of work conveys Chan's contemplation on the relationship between materials, space and time through titanium: a futuristic, space-age material that has long been the subject of his experimental impulses.

The exhibition is Wallace Chan's first-ever large-scale titanium sculpture exhibition in Venice, Italy.

About James Putnam

James Putnam is an independent curator and writer and Senior Research Fellow: Exhibitions at University of the Arts, London. He studied Art History at London University, was Visiting Scholar in Museum Studies at New York University, and Senior Lecturer in curating at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, London (2004-2011). He founded and was curator of the British Museum's Contemporary Arts and Cultures Programme from 1999 to 2003. His book‘Art and Artifact – The Museum as Medium’(Thames & Hudson, 2000/10) surveys the interaction between contemporary artists and the museum. Since 1994, he has organised a number of critically-acclaimed exhibitions for major museums, juxtaposing the work of contemporary artists with their collections. In the last decade, he has regularly curated projects for biennials, both in Asia and Venice.

About Wallace Chan

Wallace Chan (b. 1956) is a Hong-Kong based, self-trained artist whose practice encompasses jewellery, sculpture and carving. Chan has had solo exhibitions showcasing his jewellery and sculpture at Asia House (London, 2019); Christie’s Gallery (Hong Kong, 2019), the Gemological
Institute of America Museum (Carlsbad, 2011); the Capital Museum (Beijing, 2010); Kaohsiung Museum of History (Taiwan, 1999), and Deutsches Edelsteinmuseum (Idar-Oberstein, 1992). He has given talks and lectures at prestigious institutions including the British Museum (London, 2019), British Academy of Jewellery (London, 2019); Royal College of Art (London, 2019); University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, 2019), Christie’s Education (Hong Kong, 2019); Gem-A
(London, 2018); Sarabande Foundation: Established by Lee Alexander McQueen (London, 2018); Sciences Po (Paris, 2018); Harvard University (Cambridge, 2017); Central Saint Martins (London, 2017); V&A Museum (London, 2016) and Christie’s (Paris, 2014).

About Sona Datta

Sona Datta is a curator, writer and broadcaster. She was Head of South Asian art at the Peabody Essex Museum, where she extended the collections to encompass the best contemporary art referencing all of South Asia. She previously worked at the British Museum
for eight years, where she redefined the Museum’s engagement with modern collecting through the acquisition of contemporary art from Pakistan, linked to the rich holdings of traditional Mughal painting. In 2015, she wrote and presented “Treasures of the Indus” for the BBC. In 2019, she curated “She Persists” at the 58th Venice Biennale, showcasing the work of three generations of trailblazing artists from four continents. Her forthcoming book will reset the lens on the so-called ‘East’ (“Seeing India”, Bloomsbury 2023). A fellow in the 2020 Clore Leadership program, Sona Datta has been identified as a UK future cultural leader.

***

Learn more about Wallace Chan’s fantasy world

***

“VIRTUAL OPENING: Wallace Chan TITANS exhibition in Venice, 2021” –

Virtual tour of “TITANS: A dialogue between materials, space and time”, Wallace Chan’s latest sculpture exhibition in Venice –

©2021 Wallace Chan International Ltd.