Organic Life-Cycle Depicted in Jade and Gold in HMNS Exhibit

As president and CEO of the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS), Joel A. Bartsch organizes exhibits while expanding attendance and the membership base. One exhibit that Joel A. Bartsch and his colleagues organized in September 2021 is “Treasures in Gold & Jade: Masterworks from Taiwan.”

This ambitious undertaking brings together 44 pieces by Taiwanese artists Huang Fu Shou and Wu Ching crafted either sculpted refined gold or carved jade. The pieces are arranged in a tight-knit grouping illuminated by ceiling chandeliers.

Among the centerpieces is “Prosperous Descendants,” an eight-foot-tall tree sculpture with many melon vines made from delicate stretched gold. Emphasizing biodiversity within a single canopy, these sculpted vines harbor various types of plant life and insects.

Another piece, “Mundane Affinity,” combines a human skull of silver with thin vines and flowers of pure gold. The decaying cranium is thus depicted as a foothold for new life. The organic life cycle shown in these works is of such intricacy that the curator describes the viewer’s impression as one of perusing a “Where’s Waldo?” children’s book. The moment one fanciful form is grasped, several others make themselves known. With its mix of plants, crustaceans, ants, and amphibians, the result vividly depicts the natural world in fluid permanence.