Few artists have coaxed such poetry from the unyielding resistance of stone, titanium and porcelain as Chan. Born in Fuzhou in 1956 and apprenticed at 16 in the backstreets of Hong Kong’s jewellery quarter, the self-taught master has spent more than five decades transforming an ancient craft into a distinctly contemporary art form.
His works reside in the Shanghai Museum, the V&A, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. When Christie’s London presented The Wheel of Time in 2023, the largest exhibition of his oeuvre in Europe to date, it drew visitors of all ages and backgrounds to pieces that feel less like ornaments and more like captured moments of philosophical inquiry.
With his long beard and quiet intensity, Chan speaks softly but thinks in epochs. In conversation, he reveals an artist unbound by category, trend or even the traditional expectations of jewellery itself.
How would you describe your jewellery aesthetic? Does it fall more under the category of art and sculpture than accessory?“I strive to create artworks that will outlive me. When it comes to art creation, jewellery is a form of expression. I embrace all art forms and choose not to be confined to any formats. I feel that true artistic freedom means transcending boundaries, even the boundaries of art forms.”
Is there a muse, man or woman, behind the design and who you make the jewellery for?“I create for history.”
What has the experience of the exhibition in London been like? Do you see a difference in how Westerners approach your work and how an Asian audience or buyer might?“I create my works in a way that they are universal, and they communicate to people regardless of their backgrounds. At my exhibition, there were children as young as the age of 3, and there were people in their 80s. It brings me joy to know that my works delight others. We made the exhibition free entry, open to all because we believe that everyone should have an opportunity to enjoy the pieces. I have collectors from different countries in Asia and the West and I am very grateful that they generously loaned their pieces to make this exhibition possible.”
The state of jewellery in 2023; how would you describe it? In your experience, over the years, how has jewellery changed? What was it before – what is it now?“Change is the only constant in life, it is also an essential element in my creative process. To create is to embrace change. Change doesn't happen year by year, but minute by minute.”
Do you see a trend in high-end jewellery that you like.. or that you dislike?“I do not keep up with trends. Trends come and go – they move too fast.”
There are a lot of imitators who’ve been inspired by your work and try to replicate it in their own way. What are your thoughts on it?“It is perhaps a part of the learning process to imitate what has been done before. But life is too short to live in the shadow of the past. At some point one must create one's own future. Every piece of mine is unique because I find it meaningless to replicate myself. Every creation should be a new challenge.”
What advice do you have (to our readers) about jewellery? Should they see it as investment? Something beautiful to own? A keepsake? A treasure?“Collect only what you love, always.”
Over the past twenty years, I have featured several Asian jewellery designers who have a signature style, unique motif and sources of inspiration that often route predictable sources, nature, the oceans, flora and fauna.
Wallace Chan has an ethos, a philosophy, in his hands, a jewel is never merely a dear, decorative, dazzling designer artifact guised as an accessory. It becomes a vessel for ideas that outlast fashion, markets and even the artist himself, quiet proof that the most radical act in contemporary jewellery may simply be the pursuit of enduring meaning. For years we've written about quiet luxury, now we are shifting focus to quiet legacy.
亞洲珠寶設計大師陳世英：以寶石與陶瓷雕刻永恆
鮮少有藝術家能像陳世英（Wallace Chan）一樣，從堅硬無比的寶石、鈦金屬和陶瓷中淬煉出如此深邃的詩意。1956年出生於福州、16歲在香港珠寶區的街巷中當學徒，這位自學成才的大師花了半個多世紀，將一門古老的工藝轉化為具備鮮明現代感的新穎藝術形式。
如今，他被公認為亞洲最具影響力的珠寶藝術家及雕塑家之一。作為首位作品獲大英博物館永久典藏的中國當代珠寶藝術家，陳世英以多項技術突破而聞名於世，包括「世英切磨」（Wallace Cut，於1987年創製的幻影立體雕刻法）、將鈦金屬應用於可穿戴藝術的先驅工藝，以及他自主研發的「世英陶瓷」——一種強度比鋼鐵高出五倍、卻又能展現空靈透光感的獨特材質。
他的作品亦被上海博物館、維多利亞與艾爾伯特博物館（V&A）以及波士頓美術館典藏。2023年，當倫敦佳士得舉辦其歐洲歷來規模最大的展覽《時間的輪轉》（The Wheel of Time）時，吸引了不同年齡與背景的觀眾前來朝聖。這些作品與其說是飾物，不如說是一瞬被凝固的哲思。
留著蓄長鬍鬚、眼神靜謐而專注的陳世英，說話溫和，思考卻縱橫於時代與紀元之間。在對話中，他展現出一種不受類別、潮流乃至珠寶傳統框架所束縛的藝術家本色。
您會如何形容自己的珠寶美學？它是否更偏向於藝術和雕塑，而非單純的配飾？ 「我渴望創作能夠比我生命更長久的藝術品。在藝術創作的層面，珠寶是一種表達方式。我擁抱所有的藝術形式，不願被任何格式所限。我覺得真正的藝術自由，是跨越邊界，甚至超越藝術形式本身的界限。」
您的設計背後是否有某位靈感繆斯（無論男女）？您又是為誰而創作？ 「我是為歷史而創作。」
在倫敦舉辦展覽的體驗如何？您覺得西方觀眾欣賞您作品的方式，與亞洲觀眾或買家有何不同嗎？ 「我創作時著重於讓作品具備通性，無論觀眾背景為何，都能與之對話。在我的展覽上，有小至3歲的孩童，也有80多歲的老人。得知自己的作品能為他人帶來喜悅，這讓我感到無比欣慰。我們將展覽設為免費入場、向所有人開放，因為我們相信每個人都應該有機會欣賞這些作品。我的藏家來自亞洲和西方的不同國家，非常感謝他們慷慨借出藏品，才讓這次展覽得以實現。」
您如何形容2023年珠寶業的現狀？依您的經驗，這些年來珠寶產生了怎樣的變化？過去與現在有何不同？ 「變革是人生唯一的永恆，也是我創作過程中不可或缺的元素。去創作，就是去擁抱變化。變化不是按年發生的，而是每分每秒都在進行。」
在高級珠寶領域中，是否有您喜歡……或不喜歡的趨勢？ 「我不去追隨趨勢。潮流來來去去——它們變化得太快了。」
市面上有許多模仿者受您的作品啟發，並嘗試以自己的方式複製。您對此有何看法？ 「去模仿前人做過的事，或許是學習過程的一部分。但人生太短，不能一直活在過去的陰影下。人總要在某個時刻去創造屬於自己的未來。我的每一件作品都是獨一無二的，因為我覺得自我複製毫無意義。每一次創作都應該是一個全新的挑戰。」
對於珠寶，您對（我們的）讀者有何建議？他們應該將其視為投資、一件值得擁有的美好事物、一份紀念品，還是一件珍寶？ 「只收藏你真正熱愛的事物，永遠如此。」
在過去二十年間，我介紹過多位具備個人標誌性風格、獨特圖騰與靈感來源的亞洲珠寶設計師，他們的創作源泉往往來自可預期的自然、海洋或花草鳥獸。
然而陳世英擁有一套屬於自己的信念與哲學。在他手中，一件珠寶絕非只是披著配飾外衣、昂貴而耀眼的設計工藝品；它成為了思想的載體，凌駕於時尚、市場乃至藝術家個人的壽命之上。這亦無聲地證明了，當代珠寶界最激進的創舉，或許不過是對「永恆意義」的純粹追求。多年來我們一直在探討「低調奢華」（Quiet Luxury），而現在，我們將目光轉向「靜謐傳承」（Quiet Legacy）。
