Ever since Wallace Chan first visited Venice as a young man, he was bewitched by the picturesque city. The region’s rich history of traditional craft – which includes Murano glassblowing, intricate Burano lace-making, and papier-mâché Venetian mask-making – entranced the Chinese artist. But the main event was the Venice Biennale, one of the longest-running cultural festivals in the world, where artists from all over the globe convene to showcase their work on the world stage. “The Venice Biennale was the first time I was exposed to contemporary art,” says Chan, recalling the curiosity and wonder he felt when he first encountered conceptual art. “I began visiting Venice every two years, and I had a dream that I could one day be an exhibiting artist here. I wondered: how could I make that dream come true?” 

For the past four editions of the Venice Biennale, the Hong Kong-based artist has showcased his own work in the city in tandem with the festival. His latest exhibition, unveiled to coincide with the 61st edition of the Biennale, is Vessels of Other Worlds, an otherworldly show that takes inspiration from the surrounding city. Curated by James Putnam, the exhibition features an imposing new series of monumental titanium sculptures and is part of a dual-site exhibition that unfolds across Venice and Shanghai (at the Long Museum) this year.  

Born in 1956, Chan is a self-trained artist with an unconventional route into the art world. He began carving at the age of 16, inspired by nature, Chinese cultural traditions, and the iconography of Christianity. “I never knew what art was as a child,” says Chan. “I became an artist because I was just trying to satisfy my own curiosity.” In the early 2000s, Chan entered into a period of monastic retreat, relinquishing all his possessions. He then began working with modest materials such as concrete, copper, and stainless steel, and later titanium, first in his fine jewellery practice, and later in sculpture. “Titanium is very difficult to work with,” says Chan. “But I love the material so much because I feel it shares a lot of characteristics I do: it’s very stubborn. It will not bend to anyone’s will. Titanium’s melting point is 1668 °C. If you want to contribute something beautiful to the world, having a strong will is important.” 

Stepping into the Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà, an 18th-century church overlooking the San Marco Basin, Wallace Chan’s exhibition unfolds in introspective, low-lit silence, a world away from the bustling crowds streaming up and down the Riva degli Schiavoni outside. The artist’s otherworldly titanium sculptures appear like a mirage, and reward close attention; sculpted human faces are twisted or distorted, nestled among intricate tiered sculptures with a supernatural aesthetic. Some take inspiration from the Catholic Church for blessing rituals, while others echo the fantastical forms found in Hieronymus Bosch’s infamous triptych, The Garden of Earthly Delights. 

Further within the chapel, three video screens on the altar form a triptych, revealing Chan’s monumental artworks on show at the Long Museum in Shanghai. This dialogue highlights the distinct cultural heritage of the two cities, each of which has been profoundly shaped by its relationship to the surrounding water. An artist in pursuit of the transcendental and divine, the sculptures on show in Vessels of Other Worlds symbolise the three stages of life: birth, growth and rebirth. “When you are born and you leave your mother’s body, what is your consciousness like?” Chan says. “None of us really remember how it was, but it’s the biggest moment in our life. I try to put all I know and all I can imagine into these works.” 

Vessels of Other Worlds by Wallace Chan is on show at the Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà in Venice until 18 October 2026. The parallel exhibition is on show at the Long Museum in Shanghai until 25 October 2026.