EXHIBITIONS

"Vishnu: Hinduism's Blue-Skinned Savior" at the Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, Through October 2,brooklynmuseum.com

Whenit comes to pictorial dynamism in art, Zeus — he of Brillo beard, the louche animal guises, and thunderbolt — has nothing on Vishnu. One of the top three Hindu deities, the blue-hued god traveled to his various adventures on the back of a giant eagle (a bird Zeus was fond ofas well), transformed into zanier creatures (a monkey, a pig-beast, anda voracious monster among them), got graphically hot and heavy with hiscoterie of mistresses, and always carried his three art-friendlyattributes:the conch, the mace, the chakra, and the lotus flower. To see dazzlingly inventive ways that India's artists depicted this piece of supreme eye candy, check out Brooklyn Museum curator Joan Cummins's exhibition.

"The End" at Christopher Henry Gallery, 127 Elizabeth St., opening Thursday, August 18 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., christopherhenrygallery.com

This end-of-summer group show focuses on — what else but — endings. Curated by Jason LeBlond and including artists Kevin Baker,Jordan Eagles, Gabriel J. Shuldiner, and Wonderpuss Octopus, "The End" embraces our cultural moment — one filled with "apocalyptic angst." While it certainly doesn't sound cheerful (works inthe show engage with the ending of relationships and the death of lovedones, among other finalities), the artist selection and spirited curation point toward a lively exhibition. 

ART FOR YOUR EARS

Iceage, Saturday, August 20 at Cake Shop (152 Ludlow St.), Sunday, August 21 at Secret Project Robot (210 Kent Ave., Brooklyn), Monday, August 22 at Mercury Lounge (217 East Houston St.

Modern Painters' senior editor Scott Indrisek suggests three opportunities to see Danish-based punk band Iceage. If you're curious, listen to "White Rune," with its stuttering, anxious, Liars-inflected verse and anthemic chorus.

"Elevator Music" by Lullatone, available online, lullatone.com

ARTINFO is currently obsessed with Lullatone, a Japanese/American band that proudly describes their musicas "pajama pop." Too ambient to be twee and too melodic to be totally minimalist, Lullatone hits the sweet spot of moments spent playing in the leaves, digging in the dirt, and nodding off just before sleep. In this album, they create fictional soundtracks for elevators, the kind of tunes that would make your pre-workday lift ride into something slightly more enchanted.

GO READ A BOOK

"The History of the Saatchi Gallery," by Richard Cork and Brian Sewell, published by Booth-Clibborn Editions, $87.50, amazon.com

This massive tome provides a very visual walk-through of Saatchi's holdings over the years, moving from works by Sol Lewitt and Anselm Kiefer to hallucinogenic Ryan Trecartin sculptures, Cecily Brown's lurid abstractions, and Barnaby Furnas's Civil War-inspired bloodbaths. 

ACTIVITIES & HAPPENINGS

Outsourcing Art, presented by Andrew Norman Wilson, at Hyperallergic HQ, 181 North 11th St., #302, Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m., hyperallergic.com

In a move designed to provoke controversy, artist Andrew Norman Wilson outsourced his art practice to a 25-year-old male Bangalore resident named Akhil. In this presentation, Wilson will speak about his experiences working to "peel back the corporate veneer, revealing limitations, histories, networks, power and desire," by working with Akhil on a variety of projects including "making toy boats, construction manuals, a video about the best fighter jet in the world, PowerPoint performances, pulse rate tests, Excel graphs, office installations, g-chats, international mailings and more." The artist's work probes the exploitative underbelly of international business. 

Meeting Bowls in Times Square, 46th St. and Broadway, 8 a.m. — 12 a.m., timessquarenyc.org

Spanish art collective mmmm... has installed a series of large bowls in Times Square. These aren't for eating, despite the group's name. The "Meeting Bowls," 5 feet tall and 8 feet in diameter, were created as social spaces, facilitating the city's process of throwing strangers together in public places. The project "captures urban territory" and reactivates it, though ARTINFO isn't sure Times Square needs any more activation. You never know what you'll find in your bowl!