Housed in one of the city’s eight great monumental palazzos, Aman Venice embodies its grand location, where Rococo works of art are offset by contemporary Jean-Michel Gathy interiors and private gardens can be admired from opulent dining venues and spacious suites.
Reopening 30 April, the hotel is pleased to announce the temporary display of artwork by Wallace Chan, accompanying the artist’s first major sculpture exhibition at the Fondaco Marcello on the city’s Grand Canal. The exhibition joins a handful of new experiences at Aman Venice for 2021 that celebrate art, design and craftsmanship.
Standing tall in Aman Venice’s palazzo from 13 May until the 31 October, A Dialogue Between Materials and Time IV will showcase Chan’s contemplation on the relationship between materials, space and time – long the subject of the artist’s experimental impulses.
Crafted from iron and titanium, the sculpture measures over two meters in height and weighs over 25-kilograms, in contrast to his previous works as one of the world’s most celebrated jewellery artists. The display allows guests and visitors of Aman Venice to marvel the spectacular work in an equally majestic setting, with the opportunity to visit the wider exhibition if desired.
Alongside the display in Aman Venice’s palazzo, Chan’s first major sculpture exhibition titled TITANS: A dialogue between materials, space and time, takes place at Fondaco Marcello in Venice from 20 May – 31 October 2021.
Curated by James Putnam, the exhibition will feature a series of large-scale titanium and iron sculptures alongside an immersive installation composed of titanium and mirrored stainless steel, taking visitors on a deeper exploration of Chan’s work as a sculptor.
Exclusive to guests of Aman Venice, the opportunity to discover the entire collection can be arranged by the hotel’s concierge where a personal tour of the exhibition will be led by one of the gallery’s associates for a unique insight.
Born in 1958, Chan worked as a carving apprentice from the age of 16, where opaque stones such as malachite, jade and coral became his main materials, and auspicious Chinese motifs served as his inspiration. He later developed his skills, learning the art of Western sculpture by visiting Christian cemeteries and admiring the marble sculptures of saints and angels.
After six months of devoted monkhood in the early 2000s, Chan had given up all possessions including art resources, however, his passion for sculpture led him to the creation of works using affordable materials like concrete, copper and steel.
Speaking on the inspiration behind his latest work, Chan explained, “I juxtaposed titanium and iron beams and gave them faces and shapes so that they would stand as something monumental and poetic. The iron beams will rust in a few hundred years. The titanium will outlive the iron beams. Both materials will outlive me. My time, and the lifespan of iron and titanium are measured against one another. Time is at once terribly short yet interminably long. It encompasses everything.”
Also well-suited to those with an appreciation of the arts, Aman Venice’s new private Discover Contemporary Architecture touroffers guests an insight into some of the city’s most inspiring structures. Influenced by the Biennale Architecture Exhibition that also takes place in Venice this year, the three-hour walking tour focuses on the works of Carlo Scarpa and Mario Botta, paying a visit to the Olivetti Store on Piazza San Marco and the Palazzo Querini Stampalia.
On return to Aman Venice, the hotel’s Mixologist will serve a choice of cocktails from a specially curated menu inspired by Italy’s contemporary architects and their buildings – from the Auditorio della Musica in Rome to the Bosco Verticale in Milan. The cocktail menu will be available to all guests from 10 May until the Biennale exhibition closes in November.
Another way to discover local artisans, the hotel’s new Venice of the Artisans experience takes guests on a guided three-hour tour to discover the incredible work of the Bevilacqua and Orsoni ateliers. The roots of the Bevilacqua family in the textile world date back to 1499 and during a private tour of their workshop, guests will have the unique opportunity to see the weavers at work as they produce refined Soprarizzo velvet using ancient techniques.
The tour will also visit the Orsoni atelier – a glassmaker that has created a legacy, handing down mysterious alchemies for four generations since 1888.
Website: aman.com/hotels/aman-venice
