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In a recent post to her Substack Sicc Palette, chef Deepa Shridhar described the metaphor-rich process of soaking saffron for hyderabadi biryani: “You just gotta let it soak, give it the time it deserves to be a force to be reckoned with, saffron will permeate and collaborate with facile joy at every layer.” Similar description could be applied to our local creative crew at Future Front, who have over the years permeated and collaborated with myriad layers of Austin artists to make for a flavorful, well, future. Shridhar helps FFTX secure that future by serving as curator to their Art Dinner, a multi-course meal influenced by South Indian & Texan flavors. You’ve got three chances to snag a plate of Gulf shrimp sukka, Texas root masala & grilled cheese kolaches, chili citrus & Texas sesame quail, or pecan pie with burnt jaggery gelato – plus natural wine pairings, a tour of FFTX’s gallery, and a satisfied sense you’ve helped a cool org stay alive. – James Scott

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is a picture both alluring and tragic. Her beauty lures you in, but can be deadly. The VORTEX presents her acolytes in artistic burlesque, movement set to Homeric and Orphic hymns praising Aphrodite and her son Eros. Blaise Ricin, resident artist and artistic director for occult burlesque Malum Malus, creates a lush world of dangerous romance. He’s taking cues from the gilded, murky dreamscape of 1971 arthouse film Pink Narcissus, a queer landmark marrying the pure and the profane. Here, Ricin has created a rich fantasy world with an edge. – Cat McCarrey

It’s the second coming of surrealism at Ivester Contemporary. Josias Figueirido aptly updates the legacy of Dalí and Chagall with his vivid dreamscapes. His exhibit presents spirit guides Piri the Dreamer and Flying Coyote in increasingly absurd settings, smoothly bubbled characters possessing hypnotic shininess. Paintings of them hang in eerily vivid flashe paint, existing harmoniously beside their animated counterpoints in an immersive, interactive reality. It’s the wondrous love child of Cartoon Network and modernism. You don’t want to miss it.: – Cat McCarrey

“A lusty, self-written, one-woman oration on female sexual discovery, exploration, and empowerment.” That’s what we called Katie Folger’s one-woman show about dating in the pandemic when she debuted it in May 2023 at Crashbox. A year later, with a sellout L.A. run, a Best of Austin win for best actress, and a rave review from Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls podcast, now she’s bringing her raunchy memoir back for her hometown audiences. Make sure you’re in your seat early Friday and Saturday for a special comedy opening set from the hilarious Stef Dag. – Richard Whittaker