Wallace Chan: Vessels of Other Worlds – A Dual-Site Exhibition in Venice and Shanghai
Wallace ChanVessels of Other Worlds VeniceSanta Maria Della PietàMay 8 – Oct 18, 2026 ShanghaiLong Museum West BundJul 18 – Oct 25, 2026 wallace-chan.com Coinciding with the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, Wallace Chan presents Vessels of Other Worlds, a dual-site exhibition unfolding between Venice and Shanghai. Opening on 8 May 2026 at the Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà in Venice, and continuing from 18 July 2026 at the Long Museum in Shanghai, the project is curated by James Putnam and establishes a transcontinental dialogue between two cities historically defined by water, reflection, and exchange. At the core of the exhibition is oil, or Olea Sancta, a substance that, across cultures and religions, has long functioned as a medium of purification, protection, and consecration. Used in rituals in Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam, oil embodies a shared understanding of transformation and spiritual continuity. Chan reimagines this material not as substance alone, but as a conceptual thread linking different systems of belief. In Venice, three titanium vessels are installed within the Chapel’s …
