This month, the bay area raises the bar on “coolness”. Exhibits and opportunities abound like no other. Our Asian Art Museum is a hotbed of “cool”. Their fall blockbuster exhibit, The Rama Epic, opens this weekend with over 100 artworks paying tribute to the classic Hindu tale. A different kind of cool can be found at Stanford University’s The Anderson Collection with an exhibit of Soundsuits created by artist/dancer Nick Cave – you won’t believe his creations! Then there is the unusual Circus Automatic – an imaginary reality that boggles the senses. Get out and show how cool you are! 

Asian Art Museum

The Rama Epic, in short, is Prince Rama’s mythic quest to win back his wife, from his rival, with the aid of a wise lieutenant. The myth is divided into 4 key episodes. You really have to go see the exhibit because I won’t do it justice. Artists from across the world have interpreted the myth in every conceivable medium. For this exhibit, five Bay Area comic illustrators offer their distinctive takes on this much beloved legend.

Four were assigned an episode and the fifth designed the jacket cover for the limited edition booklet of illustrations. Sanaa Khan executed the cover image and she based her design on the lush sensibility found in old movie posters. She conveys Ravana’s multifaceted nature, literally! The exhibit opens today and on Sunday, the 23^rd there are exhibition tours and an all day Divali celebration. For more information: www.asianart.org

Nick Cave’s Soundsuits

Vibrant, colorful and furry – these are descriptions for Nick Cave’s exhibit of Soundsuits. The suits were created by Cave as a response to his feeling devalued and dismissed as an African-American man during the time of the Rodney King beating. The suits hide a person completely, and fully conceal the identity of the wearer. The intricate pieces are made from dismissed or cast-off objects such as plastic toys, pipe cleaners and varicolored faux-fur.

Over the years, Cave’s project as grown to focus on the inspiration of movement, dance and expression based on what the wearer hears from inside. In this collection, the suits are static and we can’t (sadly) try them on. However, Cave often performs in the Soundsuits (he is an Alvin Ailey trained dancer) and you can watch his performances on the videos that are a part of the installation. It’s all about listening to the person inside. Ok tomatoes…. time to take a look and reflect! Get more details.

Circus Automatic

This is not your old-fashioned three-ring circus! Don’t let the name fool you. Circus Automatic’s Into the Mouth of the Wolf blends experimental circus arts with storytelling. The aim of this unique company is to bring audiences together for a show that gives them a taste of incredible athleticism in a highly structured performance coupled with an immersive experiential environment.

You will enter into an imaginary reality when you are challenged to see what you are really made of. This is something you have to experience, as mere words cannot describe the elements captured in this event. Get discount tickets via Goldstar.

Into the Mouth of the Wolf – Teaser from elndzvastieree on Vimeo.