Jewelry

Wallace Chan To Bring Porcelain Jewelry Exhibition To London - Forbes

Wallace Chan will present an exhibition in London of his most recent jewelry creations made with his latest innovation, unbreakable porcelain.

Titled “Shapeshifter: The Multiverse of Wallace Chan,” it will be held September 14 – 17 at the Asia House. It’s the first exhibition by the renowned high jewelry artist in the U.K. It also marks the third and final stop for this exhibition, which has grown to 20 jewelry pieces using unbreakable porcelain, which Chan says is five times harder than steel. Accompanying the porcelain jewels, Chan will bring 10 large sculptures made with titanium. The light and durable metal has his been his material of choice for creating his jewels and sculptures for many years.

In a statement, Chan said that like titanium, he hopes his use of porcelain “will serve to inspire others to explore the possibilities of jewelry creations and sculptural art.”

Fourteen of the creations were unveiled in New York in November 2018. This was followed by an exhibition in Hong Kong in January, in partnership with Christie’s auction house. What people will see in the upcoming exhibition will be his most comprehensive work with porcelain jewels to date.

Most people know Chan through his colorful, elaborate and visionary high jewels and sculptures that communicate his dreamlike images. However, he is distinguished among high jewelers because he not only creates the designs but does much of the artisan work himself. Through his personal experimentation he’s developed a number of innovations over a career spanning 45 years. Some of his best known breakthroughs are a technique for refining and brightening jade, a method of gem-setting without metals and his creative use of titanium, which he uses for 99% of his creations. His most celebrated invention is the “Wallace Cut,” an engraving in a transparent crystal or gem that combines faceting and intaglio techniques. The result is a multiple-dimensional optical illusion (trompe l’oeil) that reveals four additional images of the engraving when viewed from the front of the gem. There will be some examples of these works in the exhibition as well.

The porcelain used in Chan’s latest collection not only has the pure while color associated with the material, but includes examples that glow in a vibrant, even fluorescent-like pink and blue. The porcelain is matched with large colorful gemstones, diamond pave and titanium. Each piece is unique in approach and style, ranging from dome shapes to pieces with long, sensual curves and puzzle-like figures. Even though the material is new, the combinations of designs, colors and themes are recognizable as Chan’s works.

Among the pieces on display is the “Garden of Dreams” brooch, which uses porcelain that is repeatedly carved and fired to create a flowering plant that grows out a sculpted head made of bluish and pink carved titanium. The filaments of the flower are made of blue-green titanium and the anthers are made of red gemstones. Also included is Chan’s first porcelain creation, a long, slender ring titled, “A New Creation,” which combines white porcelain with blue sapphire, aquamarines and pavé diamond. Like many of his works, it combines seemingly disparate themes such as mythology, Science Fiction and depictions of nature. In this case the ring takes its inspiration from pea pods and spaceships.

His large and colorful titanium sculptures will include “Lotus Children” showing putti (cherub-like infants) playing inside a lotus flower. Another is “Death to Life,” depicting a titanium skull with white porcelain describing the tension between life and death.

In addition to the exhibition, Chan will be giving a series of talks and guided tours in different venues. The self-taught artist and artisan is a popular speaker as his presentations combine the influences of his impoverished childhood, his approach toward craftsmanship and his multiple interests that include Eastern philosophies, western arts and technology. He is spending so much time in London it could be considered an artist residency. The schedule of events is as follows:

* Talk at the British Museum – Wallace Chan: “Old Materials, New Destinies,” September 11, details to be announced in early September;

* In conversation: Wallace Chan and Trino Verkade – “A Practical Visionary,” September 14, Asia House. Chan is joined by Trino Verkade, founding trustee of the Sarabande Foundation, which supports creative and visionary talent in the U.K. Chan also donated a work to the foundation’s charity auction on September 16 at LAPADA, co-hosted by Aimee Mullins;

* Talk at LAPADA, September 15, during the LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair, Berkeley Square, London;

* “Design Masterclass with Wallace Chan and The Jewellery Cut,” at Hotel Café Royal Pompadour Ballroom, September 15, presented by the Jewellery Cut;

* Talk at the British Academy of Jewellery, Morley House, Holborn, London, September 25;

* Talk at the Royal College of Art, Battersea Campus, London, September 26. Open only to RCA students.