Wallace Chan: Vessels of Other Worlds

Wallace Chan (b. 1956) is a Hong Kong-based, self-trained artist whose practice encompasses jewellery, sculpture, and carving. He has been carving gemstones since 1973, at the age of 16, drawing his inspiration from nature and Chinese motifs. He is an artist and innovator. His curiosity has driven numerous breakthroughs over the past half-century, including The Wallace Cut (an illusionary carving technique invented in 1987). After many years of research and experimentation, Chan developed a method of working with titanium, initially for his jewellery creations and more recently for his monumental sculptures. James Putnam is an independent curator and writer. He founded and was the curator of the British Museum's Contemporary Arts and Cultures Programme from 1999 to 2003. Since 1994, he has organised a number of critically acclaimed exhibitions for major museums, such as the Time Machine exhibition at the British Museum and Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick at Somerset House. In the last decade, he has regularly curated projects for biennials, both in Asia and Venice. Putnam studied Art History at London University, was a Visiting Scholar in Museum Studies at New York University, Senior Lecturer in Curating at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, London (2004-2011) and Senior Research Fellow in Exhibitions at University of the Arts, London (2010-2021). His book Art and Artifact. The Museum as Medium (Thames&Hudson, 2000/10) surveys the interaction between contemporary artists and the museum.