To create is not to water a single plant, but to sow many different seeds in a garden. Some flowers will bloom, some flowers will have to wait – sometimes they all bloom together.
Wallace Chan
Lévy Gorvy's Eternal Seasons
厲蔚閣《春華秋實》
25.03.2021 - 31.05.2021
Hong Kong
Wallace Chan's creations on show at Lévy Gorvy's Eternal Seasons exhibition, alongside master modern artists Van Gogh, Picasso and the like
Wallace Chan參展於厲蔚閣香港《春華秋實》，與梵高和畢卡索等大師傑作同場
The Heart of the Milky Way
銀河心上
2020
Sapphire, Rutilated Quartz
Yellow Diamond, Pearl
Diamond, Sapphire, Titanium
藍寶石、髮晶、黃鑽、珍珠
鑽石、藍寶石、鈦金屬
12.3 x 8.5 x 3.5 (cm) / 62.30g
The boundless universe evokes endless imagination. A Chestnut Tiger butterfly once flew from Wakayama to Hong Kong in 83 days. How long would this bejeweled butterfly take to travel from the heart of the Milky Way to the mind of its creator? In the blink of an eye, an idea emerges out of nowhere. It takes just a moment. But arriving at that specific moment takes a lifetime of memories and experiences.
無邊無際的宇宙，誘發無窮無盡的想像。一隻大絹斑蝶，從日本和歌山飛到香港，用了83天的時間。一隻蝴蝶，從銀河飛到心上，又要多少時間？意念在頃刻之間發生，那個頃刻，那個之間，既是一生裡的一刻，也是一刻裡的一生。
Clad in beautiful balmy waves and emitting mellow rays of light, she flies again, among us and among the stars.
在生命和時間的消長裡，作品逐漸成形──捎來圓渾的波光，刻上流麗的水紋，日月星晨，我心飛行。
My Butterfly Dream by Wallace Chan
My Butterfly Dream by Wallace Chan
My Butterfly Dream
蝶與我
2021
Ruby, Pink Sapphire, Diamond
Fancy Sapphire, Amethyst, Pearl
Tsavorite Garnet, Titanium
紅寶石、粉紅剛玉、鑽石、彩色剛玉
紫水晶、珍珠、翠榴石、鈦金屬
21.5 x 10 x 6 (cm) / 84.80g
The interrelation between butterflies and flowers has been a recurrent theme throughout Wallace Chan’s creative career. His works continue to explore ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi’s Butterfly Dream – am I a man dreaming of myself as a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming of myself as a man? What is reality? Are dreams part of reality? When we dream, are we not also awake in another time and space? His curiosity about the truth of life is so strong that the only way for him to find answers to his unanswerable questions is to constantly create.
蝴蝶與花的相互關係，一直都是創作者鍥而不捨地探索的主題。他許多關於蝴蝶的創作，彷彿都是莊周蝶夢的延伸──不知周之夢為胡蝶與？胡蝶之夢為周與？何謂實相？何為虛妄？夢境中的經歷是否現實的一部份？夢入太虛之時，不就是在別的時空之中覺醒？無法抑止的好奇與無從稽考的疑惑，只能通過永無止境的創作去解決。
My Butterfly Dream, in its various forms, depicts a butterfly poised upon an unusual flower. Close observation reveals that the flower is not only a flower, but also a twisted human face. The work appears as a depiction and reflection of nature. At a deeper level, it is also a quest for the self. Am I real? Who am I? If I were a butterfly, would I notice the difference between myself and a flower? The artist often recites a saying – the closer you are to Tao, the farther you are from human nature. The closer you are to human nature, the farther you are from Tao.
作品為一可變形胸針，其不同的形態皆展示蝴蝶停駐於花上的一刻。奇花一朵，似花亦似非花，隱約之中是一張扭曲的人臉。作品呈示了大自然的一個瞬間，亦同時表達了更深層次的反思。如何照見真我？我是誰？如果我是蝴蝶，我會知曉蝶與花的分別嗎？創作者時常說：「道心起，人心亡；人心起，道心亡。」
His works are laced with the joy of exploration.
他以作品築造思想的迷宮，樂在其中，流連忘返。
Faerie by Wallace Chan
Faerie by Wallace Chan
Faerie
洛神仙子
2016
Rubellite, Diamond, Yellow Diamond
Fancy Colored Diamond
Pink Sapphire, Amethyst, Titanium
紅碧璽、鑽石
黃鑽、彩鑽、粉紅剛玉
紫水晶、鈦金屬
15.2 x 15.5 x 6.1 (cm) / 171.03g
When Wallace Chan read an ancient poem by the famed Chinese poet Cao Zhi praising the Goddess of the Luo River’s beauty, an image of a flower manifested in his mind. The flower – light, tender, curved and spirited – danced in the wind in all her glory. To bring his dreams and imagination to life, he created Faerie, a flower born not on land, but far deep in the sea where fish are her companions, and pressure her nutrients. Her beauty, unprecedented and incomparable to any on the earth, soars from the creator’s inner world and becomes a brooch of vibrant color and meaningful detail.
Faerie’s heart of rubellite is full of passion and hope. Delicately carved amethyst around the red gem express the more soulful side of her character. The word “amethyst” is taken from the Greek améthystos, meaning “sober”, and the stone is seen as a symbol of spirituality. Amethyst is also a jewel of temperance, and by wearing it the soul is protected from all things toxic in nature.
Flowers dance for the sun. Bright strips of radiant yellow diamonds and petals of gold reflect its glorious warmth atop Faerie’s fluttering form. As the sun alone is not enough, diamonds are set as raindrops and dews, injecting energy into the flower and encouraging her to bloom. On her petals, carved water motifs represent her pulse and vitality. Indeed, when a petal is placed under a microscope, its veins reveal waters, mountains and nature’s sublime.
「翩若驚鴻，婉若游龍。」─ 曹植《洛神賦》
洛神是洛水之神，又是一種花的名字，兩種美，通過想像，化成了這朵似花非花的《洛神仙子》。此花是輕的，是柔的，充滿弧度和曲線，是一朵在風中起舞的花。
她是熱情的，充滿希望的，紅碧璽彰顯她的內心。而由於花草都是靈性之物，便由紅發展出紫。這紫色，是來自幾片紫水晶雕刻而成的花瓣。
花跳舞的原因是陽光，從紫色，視覺又進入黃色。除了陽光，還有雨和露水，給花輸送能量，支持她開懷盛放，遂將鑽石化為露水，高低起落，鑲嵌有序。花瓣上，雕刻了流水，代表花的脈搏和生命力。原因無他，當人將一片花瓣放在顯微鏡下看，自然望見壯麗山河。
Every flower is a destined story that is eventually elevated to the unearthly world. The edges of Faerie’s petals are blue – a blue bird of happiness, or a once-in-a-lifetime’s blue moon. In Hindu culture, gods and goddesses have blue skin. Blue is also the color that makes the real surreal; Faerie’s blue edges make her a dream.
The flower is beauty, love, youth, life, pleasure and enlightenment. With titanium as the structure, a floating flower dazzles with elegant, meandering curves. With rubellite radiating beauty and grandeur, shining diamonds and amethyst petals full of soul, the spirit of a true Faerie comes alive.
每一朵花都是一段生於塵土的緣份，但每一朵花都有令精神昇華的潛能。花從入世走到出世，故此，花瓣的邊緣都是藍色的：英語的「Blue Bird」表示幸福；「Blue Moon」代表千載難逢。在印度文化中，神明多擁有藍皮膚。藍色是「現實」和「超現實」的分界線，花的邊緣位置以藍色為輪廓，讓人沉醉於夢幻之中。
花是美，是愛，是青春，是生命，是愉悅，是思想的開悟。以鈦金屬為骨幹，將之幻化為起舞中的飛花，其曲線蜿蜒有致，有若洛神之婀娜體態。作品中央的紅碧璽化成花蕊，為丰姿華容添上芳澤，其側的紫晶跟主石相輔相成，它們不互相爭豔，展現萬紫千紅的媚態，散發足以傾倒眾生之氣質。
The Grace of Life by Wallace Chan
The Grace of Life by Wallace Chan
The Grace of Life
曼妙人生
2020
Purple-Pink Sapphire
Rose Quartz, Pearl, Yellow Diamond
Pink Sapphire, Diamond, Titanium
紫粉紅剛玉、粉晶、珍珠、黃鑽
粉紅剛玉、鑽石、鈦金屬
9.5 x 8 x 2.4 (cm) / 51g
Time, although invisible, inaudible and intangible, always leaves a lasting impression, whether we notice or not. Dawn and dusk, the change of seasons, birth and growth, all are part of the magic of time. In The Grace of Life, the creator envisions the moment when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. While metamorphosis may seem effortless to the human eye, the butterfly summons incredible strength to push her way out of the pupa. In between her pupa and the new world is the quest for wonderful new beginnings. She must overcome the challenge of time to discover the sublime in life.
時間，我們看不見、聽不到，也摸不著。它總是在人來不及反應之前，留下深深的痕跡。日月的換移、四季的變化、生命的成長，一切都是時間的造化。創作者想像蝴蝶破繭而出的一刻，那蛻變的過程，在人類的眼中輕而易舉，對蝴蝶而言卻是傾盡全力。在衝破與未破之際，在曼妙人生開展之前，必須全力全心也全意，通過時間無形的考驗，成就生命至美的昇華。
Goddess of Spring by Wallace Chan
Goddess of Spring by Wallace Chan
Goddess of Spring
春日女神
2021
The Wallace Cut (Citrine)
Pink Sapphire, Diamond
Yellow Diamond
Yellow Sapphire, Titanium
世英切割（茶晶）、粉紅剛玉
鑽石、黃鑽、黃色剛玉
鈦金屬
8.7 x 18 x 4.7 (cm) / 62.72g
Many years ago, Wallace Chan ordered a tulip from a florist so that he could create a piece using it as his muse. But it was not the right season, so he had to wait.
When the tulip arrived from the Netherlands months later, he couldn’t wait to start carving. But after just a few hours, the flower began to fade. He called the florist and was told that the weather was too warm, and that it could last for only so long. Out of desperation, he placed the tulip in the fridge. He checked it every 10 minutes, and eventually, it became strong again. To this day, he still remembers the tremendous joy he felt when his tulip came around.
“My tulip was breathing again. I carved on the titanium powerful, throbbing pulses. It is meant to live forever, protected by the Goddess of Spring – the goddess of vitality and all things bright and beautiful,” said the jewelry creator.
This brooch, Goddess of Spring, is a re-edition of the experience.
多年前，創作者從花店訂了一枝荷蘭鬱金香，一枝能夠成為他繆思女神的鬱金香。由於不是合適的花季，他只得耐心等待。
幾個月後，鬱金香終於到了！他逼不及待以鬱金香為原形去開始雕刻。然而，幾個小時未到，鬱金香已漸現疲態。他打去花店詢問，店員說天氣太熱，鬱金香受不了。他情急生智，將鬱金香放進了冰箱。他每十分鐘就打開冰箱看一下。如是者，冰箱的門被開開合合好幾次，鬱金香竟然復活了！至今，他仍難忘鬱金香重現生機為他帶來的極大喜悅。
「我的鬱金香又呼吸過來。我在鈦金屬上雕刻強壯、跳動的脈搏，想要造一朵永恆的鬱金香。她在春日女神的守護下，生氣勃勃、美麗而光明。」他如是說。
《春日女神》胸針，重構了惜花愛花的回憶。
Butterfly and Waltz by Wallace Chan
Butterfly and Waltz by Wallace Chan
Butterfly and Waltz
柔情蝶舞
2021
Spinel, Diamond, Yellow Diamond
Tsavorite Garnet, Pink Sapphire
Fancy Colored Diamond, Amethyst
Titanium
尖晶石、鑽石、黃鑽、翠榴石
粉紅剛玉、彩鑽、紫晶
鈦金屬
14.3 x 11.3 x 5.2 (cm) / 64.91g
Titanium is known for its strength, and Wallace Chan is interested in expressing its strength in a gentle, colorful and feminine form. The butterfly wings are not just wings; they are weaved with strong, stubborn titanium to imitate the light, delicate silky pads created by caterpillars when they are ready to cocoon themselves for the magical process of metamorphosis.
鈦金屬以力量見稱，而創作者想要將鈦金屬的力量，化造色彩豐富的繞指柔。蝴蝶的翅膀不只是翅膀，是以強壯、頑固的鈦金屬織造的絲。毛毛蟲在迎接美麗的蛻變之前， 會吐幾束絲將自身固定，令身體硬化，成為一個蛹。
The waltzing, woven wings remind us of two simple ideas: that the process is just as important as the result, and that miraculous change in life is always possible.
翅膀上如絲的紋，記述生命二事：人生中，過程與結果同樣重要，奇蹟般的轉變永遠有可能發生。
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