Most of the time, when someone invites you to an art-exhibition party, your mind immediately floods with images of Brie cheese on Ritz crackers set in a sterile white gallery while covered in postmodernist paintings of misshapen hats. But if you’re the type of person who believes that this is a gross misuse of the word “party” and would rather be surrounded by frisky real-life characters in wigs reproducing the intersection of art and desire featured at the Asian Art Museum’s latest exhibition, then you might feel right at home at “Courtesans, Cooks, Samurai, and Servants: Seduction Opening Party” on Thursday, February 19, from 7 to 11 p.m.
Seduction: Japan’s Floating Worldzooms in on the Japanese Edo Period (1615–1868). During that time, in what is now modern-day Tokyo, there was a separate pleasure quarter devoted entirely to fulfilling fantasies. This walled and moated promised land was called the Yoshiwara and was lined with brothels, teahouses, and shops that served samurai and townspeople alike. While the exhibition will feature more than 60 works of art from this era, including textiles, ceramics, lacquers, and other daily-life objects, the theme of the opening-night party centers on a 58-foot-tall scroll from the 1600s depicting a lively and lavish journey through this “floating world” — complete with the era’s latest fashion, hedonistic behavior, and seductive courtesans — titled A Visit to the Yoshiwara by Hishikawa Moronobu (d. 1694). Partygoers will experience artist Midori’s reinterpretation of the fabled erotic world depicted on the scroll but with a kinky San Francisco twist, replete with familiar iconography to complement the age-old sensuality of the Yoshiwara. Attendees can follow a detailed schedule mapping the night at the museum to take part in performances, whether it’s viewing the composition of a personal love poem by a storied poet or gently sipping sake while surrounded by a troupe of characters and faux celebutantes in place of traditional courtesans.
With plenty of space to drink, dance, and mingle, and music by DJ Proof (Massive Selector), this event is meant to highlight not only the decadence of the exhibition but also the decadence of its partygoers. Of course, you’re always welcome to eschew sexy poetry, sake tasting, over-the-top performers, and flowing cocktails from the cash bar in lieu of a quiet, drab exhibit and some non-sexy paintings of hats. But why would you?
Tickets are $20 for general admission, $10 for college students with an ID, and free to museum members. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. (Tag your social posts with #TheFloatingWorld so others can take a peek.) The exhibition will run February 20, 2015, to May 10, 2015, and will be viewable only at the Asian Art Museum. Follow the museum's Facebook page here.