I've dreamt of traveling to Xi'an, China and witnessing the ancient army of buried terracotta warriors [1] practically my whole life. The uncanny legions frozen in fired clay, each individual's features uniquely fashioned, were discovered underground in 1974, a kinda creepy burial accompaniment of the first emperor Qin Shihuang (259-210 BCE), in a tomb complex the size of a city.
Now, some of those mesmerising warriors are coming to me, via the Asian Art Museum [2]'s "China's Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor's Legacy" where a selection of life-size figures and related objects will be exhibited Feb 22-May 27.
So of course it's time to party, electro '80s cult B-movie style!
In an inspired touch, the everyone-should-be-there opening party on Thu/21 [3] will feature Cheryl [4], a surrealist disco performance quartet -- think retro-future aerobics meets electro Warriors [5] -- from New York, as well as DJs Pink Lightning (Stay Gold), Nick, and Bay favorite Hokobo kicking out gritty jams. And, in fact, that staple of '80s sci-fi playlist movie musts, Warriors, is providing the theme. Although with Cheryl, you never know where that theme is gonna go. Somewhere cosmically Warrior-y, I'm sure.
(I'll be there of course, but I'm also gonna get to Xi'an someday -- the food is supposed to be bonkers good [6].)
Thu/21, 7-11pm, $15 advance, $18 door. Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin, SF. www.asianart.org/ party [7]
PS The Asian Art Museum has been doing these cute promotional spots from famous San Franciscans, looking for a lost terracotta warrior:
Links:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army
[2] http://terracotta-warriors.asianart.org/exhibitions/terracotta-warriors
[3] https://www.facebook.com/events/574250852589442/
[4] http://cherylwillruinyourlife.info/
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV4cgs-bPic
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunan_cuisine
[7] http://www.asianart.org/party