"Waiting for awakening clock" (2011) © MIYANAGA AIKO, COURTESY MIZUMA ART GALLERY

Aiko Miyanaga's work is characterized by its impermanence. In 2003, she created shoe-shaped sculptures using naphthalene, an organic compound that sublimes from a solid to gas at room temperature. "Cinderella," for example, was a model of the fairy-tale heroine's glass slipper, which deteriorated over time, symbolizing the evanescence of the story's spell.

Enchanted by ephemerality, Miyanaga describes her work as nakasora — a take on the archaic word "nakazora," which refers to a restless state of mind; Oct. 13-Dec. 24.

Other arts this week
Taking a nostalgic train of thought By STUART MUNRO	The princely state of Liechtenstein's collection By C.B. LIDDELL	"Ishiuchi Miyako: Silken Dreams" By TOMOHIRO OSAKI
"Earth, Sea and Sky — Nature in Western Art: Masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art" By TOMOHIRO OSAKI	"Artists and the Disaster: Documentation in Progress" By TOMOHIRO OSAKI