How mindfulness helps Hong Kong artist-sculptor Wallace Chan achieve spiritual wellness

Spiritual wellness is about having inner peace and purpose. Hong Kong artist Wallace Chan finds it in work such as artwork Transcendence

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In Wallace Chan’s Transcendence, on show in Venice, suspended sculptures are joined by two smaller ones on an altar: of Jesus and of Buddha, with their heads swapped. Photo: Federico Sutera

Published: 5:15pm, 9 Jun 2024

Amid the bustle of the Venice Biennale, jewellery creator and sculptor Wallace Chan finds solace on the steps of the Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà. Gazing out at Venice’s Grand Canal, he radiates a sense of spiritual well-being.

“I live to create,” Chan says. “My purpose lies in the act of creation itself.”

Spiritual wellness refers to our sense of purpose, meaning and inner peace in life, as well as a connection to something greater than oneself, which can be religious, philosophical or transcendent in nature.

In our fast-paced life, we often prioritise physical health, mental well-being and emotional balance. However, spiritual health plays a crucial role in achieving a fulfilling life.

Chan’s work Transcendence is being shown in the Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà in Venice. Photo: Federico Sutera

In the 1990s, Dr Peggy Swarbrick, a research professor in psychology at Rutgers University in the US state of New Jersey, introduced the “Eight Dimensions of Wellness” model, which encompasses emotional, financial, social, occupational, physical, intellectual, environmental and spiritual well-being.