Taiwan Academy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, partnering with the Bowers Museum, presents “Treasures in Gold & Jade: Masterworks from Taiwan,” showcasing 44 elegant gold and jade artworks by two of Taiwan’s outstanding artists, Wu Ching and Huang Fu-Shou. The exhibition is now open until September 5, 2021.
Seventeen breathtaking sculptures by Wu Ching capture the majesty of gold and wood. He creates intricate carvings in wood which he translates to 99.9% gold using a mold. These artworks are beautiful representations of ants dueling, shining plants growing from the stone, and butterflies flying out of the artist's head. In particular, Prosperous Descendants is an intricate and delicate artwork that he worked on for 8 hours a day and took him nearly 10 years to complete.
The master Huang Fu-Shou received the title of Living National Treasure in 2020 and his creations are impossibly-delicate tableaus as he specializes in jade carving. Twenty-seven luminescent carvings show jade’s full range of color. These delicate works were often carved from a single stone, depicting fish springing from water and insects weightlessly clinging to leaves swayed by the breeze. Written poems by the master himself accompany each artwork, allowing us to experience an ethereal mood.
Wu Ching and Huang Fu-Shou are representative masters of contemporary carving craft in Taiwan and have been creating artworks with their tools for more than 40 years. Regardless of their different creative techniques, both artists are imbued with deep introspection on the life of all things in nature. From their life experiences, and with their love for Taiwan's culture and land, the masters combine traditional craft techniques with modern aesthetic innovations. With the warmth of their hands, they create a new spark in the traditional craftsmanship and innovative techniques of cold gold and jade.
Founded in 1936, the Bowers Museum is the largest and oldest museum in Orange County, California. It was named the best museum in Orange County by the Los Angeles Times in 2020 and by the readers of the Orange County Register for 27 consecutive years. For over eight decades since its establishment, the museum has been dedicated to promoting different cultures around the world by organizing international exhibitions and educational programs throughout the year.