The exhibition “More Than Gold: Splendor and Thought of Indigenous Colombia” will be showcased at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich, Switzerland, and opens to the public on March 22. This landmark exhibition features over 400 pieces of gold, ceramics, stone, textiles, and other materials from the Colombian archaeological heritage, with 219 of them belonging to the collections of the Gold Museum of the Banco de la República.
The exhibition was shown to audiences in the United States in 2022, and in Canada, in 2023. The traveling exhibition received critical acclaim at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Canada, under the title “The Universe in Your Hands: Thought and Splendor of Indigenous Colombia.” At the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, it was titled “The Universe in Your Hands: The Golden Worlds of Indigenous Colombia.” The conception and creation of this exhibition took about six years and resulted from collaborative curation between Colombian and North American researchers, with the participation of leaders from the Arhuaco community.
Considered one of the most significant exhibitions on Colombia’s indigenous cultures, past and present, due to the contemporary relevance of the themes and indigenous participation in the curation, the exhibition “More Than Gold: Splendor and Thought of Indigenous Colombia” will be inaugurated on March 21 at the prestigious Rietberg. Visitors will be able to admire gleaming gold ornaments to intricately designed ceramics and textiles crafted between 600 AD to 1600 AD who inhabited the diverse topography of Pre-Columbian territories, yet safeguarded common ancestral worldviews. The official inauguration will take place on Thursday, March 21.
Thanks to the participation of several Arhuaco communities of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta who worked closely with the curatorial team, the exhibition offers a symbolic look at the objects, revealing that they contain conceptions of the universe, and invites us to understand the objects from the categories and values inherent to indigenous societies rather than through our Western vantage points. The objects also reveal worldviews in which human communities coexist and relate on an equal level with communities of animals, plants, rivers, mountains, and spiritual beings, where all have the mission of ensuring the care and maintenance of the balance of the universe.
The Swiss adaptation has been led by María Fernanda Ugalde, an Ecuadorian archaeologist and curator of the American collections at the Rietberg Museum, who also managed the exhibition’s visit to this museum. According to Ugalde, the motivation for choosing the new title of the exhibition was “to highlight the presence of the beautiful gold objects of pre-Hispanic Colombia, suggesting that there is even more. This follows the spirit of the exhibition concept, referring with ‘more than gold’ to other materials, as well as to the cultural value inherent in the pieces, beyond the valuation of gold in terms of monetary wealth.”
With the arrival of Europeans in South America, the ancient knowledge and wisdom of indigenous cultures were disregarded and classified as superstitious practices. The exhibition seeks to communicate part of that knowledge and enable new readings of the archaeological pieces through intercultural dialogue. There are six thematic axes: World conception; The people of ancient Colombia; Our home, our world, our cosmos; The extended family; Materials: technology and concepts of value; and The care of the world.
The decision to unveil these treasures in Switzerland holds particular significance, marking the Gold Museum’s triumphant return to the Rietberg after fifty years. In 1974, Europeans were enthralled when the Gold Museum presented its legengary exhibition: “El Dorado”.
As visitors marvel at the splendor of these ancient artifacts, they bear witness to a testament of resilience and cultural pride, transcending borders and generations. With the latest exhibition in Zurich, the Gold Museum of the Banco de la República can proudly claim to have hosted more than 220 international exhibitions since 1954, and part of its core mission to disseminate Colombian archaeological heritage. “The Rietberg exhibition aims to offer a nuanced portrayal of Colombia’s indigenous cultures, highlighting their profound cosmological beliefs and artistic achievements,” remarked Maria Alicia Uribe, chief curator at the Gold Museum of the Banco de la República.
Several museums led this shared exhibition with their leading curators, among them, Diana Magaloni and Julia Burtenshaw, from the LACMA museum in Los Angeles, María Alicia Uribe and Héctor García from the Gold Museum of the Banco de la República, and Rex Koontz, of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The research process was documented in the film “Unpacking the Universe,” which was recently awarded the Anthem Prize in the category of education, art, and culture. “By incorporating indigenous perspectives and voices into the curatorial process, we challenge Western-centric narratives and foster a more inclusive appreciation of indigenous heritage,” stated Koontz during the inauguration in Houston.
Joining three of the most prestigious cultural institutions in North America – LACMA, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) – the Rietberg Museum is the only museum of non-European cultures in Switzerland and the third-largest museum in Zurich.
Founded in 1952, it occupies three 19th-Century mansions in Rieterpark, Zurich’s largest public park. It stands out for the importance of its collections, including over 23,000 objects and 37,000 ethnographic photographs of peoples from different continents, the quality of its temporary exhibitions and cultural activities, and the high number of visitors it attracts, both local and international. It recently exhibited the “Nazca, Peru” exhibition with pieces from the Lima Art Museum.
Presenting the cosmology of cultures that inhabited the Atlantic and Pacific regions, Andean highlands and highest coastal mountain range in the world – Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta – in a world overshadowed by modernity, the Colombian Gold Museum’s treasures offer a poignant reminder of the enduring legacy of indigenous cultures. “This exhibition represents a momentous occasion for the Gold Museum, as it reaffirms our commitment to sharing Colombia’s rich cultural heritage with audiences around the world,” declared Héctor García, a curator from the Gold Museum of the Banco de la República.
For two months, “More Than Gold: Splendor and Thought of Indigenous Colombia” will shine brightly in the heart of Zurich, a showcase of unique artifacts that also serve as beacons of hope, inviting audiences to rediscover the beauty and complexity of Colombia’s rich cultural heritage.
Colombia’s Portable Universe heads to Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
