TTwo blue rings on the bottom of a white ceramic sake cup glistening beneath the swirl of nihonshu; the golden glow of the amber nectar in a chilled beer glass -- the joy of drinking has long been enhanced by the visual component. Now, a new exhibition at the Seikado Bunko Art Museum in Tokyo gives us a taste of the aesthetic dimension of the culture of drinking. Intoxicated by the Charm of Wine Vessels brings together cups, pots, ewers and other vessels that people in Japan and elsewhere in East Asia have used to store, pour and savor alcoholic drinks. more...

Winding as it does through a seven-meter void that's papered in warm silver tones and fragments of poetry by Toko Shinoda, the spiral staircase leading to the theater-like basement galleries of Musée Tomo is, at any time, a provocative transitional space. All the more so at the present exhibition, where a massive floor-to-ceiling installation of woven bamboo writhes up through the well, its three hollow shafts twisting in organic dialogue with the steps. At its base the structure seems rooted to the wall and floor, a plant drawing nutrients from below and light from above. more...