NATURALIA: OBJECTS OF WONDER
KIRSTEN MUENSTER + MIELLE HARVEY
September 3rd-28th, 2026
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ARTIST MEET + GREET
KIRSTEN MUENSTER
Saturday, September 12th, 4-6 PM
1816 Fourth St, Berkeley
SHIBUMI presents Naturalia: Objects of Wonder, featuring the work of artists Kirsten Muenster and Mielle Harvey.
Both artists are accomplished jewelers and sculptors, using wax with remarkable skill, imagination, and precision. Their wax carvings are transformed into intricate insects, bold brutalist textures, and soft, sculptural forms inspired by nature and mid-century design. Familiar forms become beautifully elaborate and tactile pieces.
Alongside the jewelry, Mielle presents a collection of botanical drawings, expanding on Naturalia’s exploration of the textures, patterns and beauty found in nature.
KIRSTEN MUENSTER: I wanted each piece to feel like a maquette for a sculptural detail or architectural element in an imagined Carlo Scarpa garden - something that embodies his poetic use of water, light, materials, and geometry. A stone becomes a reflecting pool; links become a sculptural rain chain.
WATCH KIRSTEN'S WAX CARVING PROCESS
MIELLE HARVEY: This body of work is a meditative examination of the sacred, seeking to reframe what we consider precious and find everyday 'miracles' in the overlooked. In the drawings, hands and wild orchids emerge from a quiet devotion of fine lines and painted gold, radiating with subtle halos. This same wonder flows into the jewelry, where shimmering clusters of silver butterflies and gold-striped honey bees challenge us to look closer and appreciate the deep beauty of the insect world.
WATCH AS MIELLE CARVES A WAX MOTH
