Wallace Chan at Christie’s London

Christie’s will hold  The Wheel of Time, the largest exhibition in Europe to date of the exquisite work of Wallace Chan, renowned Chinese jewellery creator, visual artist and innovator.

Through 150 pieces of jewellery, together with six titanium sculptures, some of which have never before been seen publicly, Chan considers the act of creation, looking back on major moments in his continuing career across five decades.

The Wheel of Time premieres at Christie’s King Street headquarters in London, where it will be on view from September 4-10. The Wheel of Time serves as a metaphor for Chan’s labour-intensive working process, requiring meticulous attention to detail. His art embraces traditional aspects of Chinese aesthetics, combined with respect for the intrinsic qualities of his working materials, the unique skill employed in carving them, and the element of time involved in their creation.

Joy of Life

For lovers of botanics his pair of butterflies are a dream in the art of the sublime.The Joy of Life brooch, featuring one of Chan’s most important motifs—a mesmerising butterfly—comprised of pink sapphire, sapphire, tsavorite garnet, diamond, yellow diamond, pearl and titanium exemplifies exquisite elegance in luxe.

Wallace, a deeply philosophical man,  infuses his jewels with an Oriental spiritualism. The butterfly is both evanescent as well as enchanting , and you can imagine how Chan spends his time interpreting and reinterpreting, experimenting with endless combinations of gemstones, mediums, styles, aesthetics.

Forever Dancing

The second butterfly is another realm in ingenuity ,The butterfly has a new eternal life in Forever Dancing – Wind’s Tale. Wallace Chan has mastered the skill of generating life in a form that no longer lives. The butterfly is ever- fluttering, under the sun, in the light, and to the rhythm of the wind’s tale.

Wallace Chan sees the tale of the wind as a dynamic creation. The bright blue titanium swirls like wind gusts at the edge of the wings. The illusion of motion is extended in the wings themselves. Two pairs of membranous butterfly wings are encapsulated between carved rock crystals and leaves of mother-of-pearl. The complete transparency of the rock crystal, combined with carved grooves, allows for the butterfly wings to unfold their inherent natural beauty. Diamonds are set across the wings to reflect the vibrancy of the color spectrum. The body of the butterfly is made of the immensely strong Wallace Chan Porcelain.

In the realm of symbolism, the butterfly is like a strand of magic, conveying the joy of life. Her fluttering colourful wings, borrowing shades from the celestial palette, dance in the worlds of the extraordinary and the ordinary, bringing sudden beauty and delight.

Both these beauties bring alive the words of the great Hans Christian Anderson in The Wind tells about Waldemar Daae and his Daughters.

“When the wind sweeps over the grass, the blades of grass ripple like the water of a lake; and when it sweeps over the cornfield, the ears of corn curl into waves like those on a lake; this is the dance of the Wind. But listen to him tell the story; he sings it out.”

In H.C. Andersen’s fairy tale, the wind is the protagonist, singing out. The ripples of grass, the rustling of leaves, and the fluttering butterfly wings are the wind telling a story. The wind creates a motionless dance and gently stirs the unmoving.

END OF ARTICLE