Yep it's crisp, dry, refreshing and hails from our neighbours to the north, but I bet you didn't know that Asahi, our much-loved golden Japanese draught, also has a rich history of cutting edge design.
Inspired by the aesthetic of the well-known silver and black Asahi Super Dry label, the beer magnate is launching a new exhibition and retail initiative in Sydney and Melbourne throughout April and May.
The exhibition, titled Asahi Silver + Black, will feature a variety of obscure vintage Asahi artefacts and live creative events, as well as items you can purchase such as art, photography, fashion pieces and limited edition objects.
A host of distinguished international artists have signed onto the venture, participating in variety of cultural enrichment projects culminating in a curated selection of works, all of which are linked through "wabi-sabi", the notion of finding beauty in imperfect things.
One of the highlights of the exhibition will be the Karakuchi Project, a collaboration of six artists who were selected to create their own interpretation of the Japanese characters "karakuchi", which appear on the Asahi Super Dry label.
Other projects include the work of Melbourne installation artist and sculptor Evan Demas, and the highly-anticipated one-night-only event Hit + Run: a live screen-printing series staged in Sydney and Melbourne in which a select number of guests have the opportunity to create their own T-shirt using designer prints.
This isn't the first time art and booze cultures have partnered up; from underground art initiatives to weekly art classes, many metropolitan watering holes have embraced a new generation of cultured young barflies (see Art and booze: a marriage made in heaven).
The soon-to-open Darlinghurst cafe/bar Sol Sutra is also set to adopt this new trend, operating as art and performance space and showcasing a blend of art, poetry readings and live music with a focus on soul and jazz.
Meanwhile, innovative Melbourne venue Pushka houses the world's smallest art gallery, 20x30, with the name deriving from the gallery's actual dimensions in centimetres.
For more information on the Asahi Silver + Black exhibition visit the official website.
