READINGS

CELEBRATING IRELAND Two acclaimed Irish authors, Colm Tóibín, right, and Colum McCann, come together for a St. Patrick’s Day reading at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Author Robert Sullivan is moderator. The two men discuss Ireland’s standing in global literature, the history of Irish immigrants on the Lower East Side, and what it means to be an Irish writer. They also read from their selected writings: Mr. Tóibín, who is perhaps best known for his 2004 novel, “The Master” (McClelland & Stewart), reads from his recent story collection, “Mothers and Sons” (Scribner). Mr. McCann is the author of the novels “Zoli” (Random House) and “This Side of Brightness” (Picador), among other titles. Tonight, 6:30 p.m., Lower East Side Tenement Museum, 108 Orchard St. at Allen Street, 212-982-8420, free.

ASIA WEEK

SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN The Guggenheim Museum hosts a curatorial walk-through of “Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe,” a retrospective of work by the Chinese-born artist. Known for his fascination with pyrotechnics and explosions, Mr. Cai designed a site-specific installation for the museum with nine cars in a cinematic progression to evoke a car bombing. Occupying the central atrium of the museum rotunda, the installation is Mr. Cai’s largest to date. A senior curator of Asian Art at the museum, Alexandra Munroe, leads the walk-through.

Tuesday, 4–5 p.m., exhibit runs through Wednesday, May 28, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Ave. at 89th Street, 212-423-3500, $18 adults, $15 students and seniors, children under 12 free.

MR. ROBOTO The Korea Society presents a screening of “Robot Taekwon V” (1976), the country’s first full-length feature film in the celebrated anime style. The film is shown in conjunction with the exhibit “Toy Stories: Souvenirs from Korean Childhood,” which includes more than 90 action figures, dolls, and miniatures from the postwar 1970s and 1980s. The film and toys capture a culture hopeful about its future and eager to conform. Wednesday, 6:30–8 p.m., exhibit runs through Friday, April 18, Korea Society, 950 Third Ave., 8th floor, at 57th street, 212-759-7525, $10 general, $5 members.

FILM

BROKEN WINGS The Japan Society presents the New York premiere of “Wings of Defeat,” a documentary about kamikaze pilots. Few realize that hundreds of these pilots survived World War II. While they are revered in Japan, the fliers are often considered fanatics abroad and remembered for their attacks on American warships during the last year of the war. After director Risa Morimoto discovered her own uncle had been a kamikaze pilot, she set out to tell their story. The film includes interviews with living Japanese pilots; the filmmakers, as well as some of the pilots, are on hand for a prescreening reception at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 8 p.m., Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St., between First and Second avenues, 212-832-1155, $10 general, $7 students and seniors.

MUSIC

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BACH The first music director emeritus of the New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur, conducts the Philharmonic in four performances of Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion,” composed in 1727. Bach’s masterpiece includes text culled from two chapters in the Christian Bible’s Gospel of Matthew and 28 short poems by Picander, one of Bach’s primary librettists. The work is widely regarded as the apotheosis of the northern German tradition of passion narratives, which tell the tale of the trial and suffering of Jesus. When it was first performed in the 18th century, many listeners were outraged by what they thought was theatrical music unfit for a house of worship. Featured performers include baritone Matthias Goerne (Jesus), tenor James Taylor (Evangelist), the Westminster Choir, and the American Boychoir. Wednesday–Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Friday–Saturday, 8 p.m., Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Avenue at 65th Street, 212-875-5656, $34–$107.

PHOTOGRAPHY

WALL TO WALL Canadian photographer Jeff Wall, known for his technique of mounting large-scale photographs on light boxes, has a self-titled exhibit of new works at the Marian Goodman Gallery. The show is made up of eight new photographs of scenes that have been mounted alongside documentary images of deserted landscapes. Unlike much of Mr. Wall’s photography, most of the photographs on display are black-and-white.

Through Saturday, Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Marian Goodman Gallery, 24 W. 57th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-977-7160, free.

TALKS

EXTREME MAKEOVER The Museum of the City of New York presents “The Future of Coney Island,” a discussion with the president of the Coney Island Development Corporation, Lynn Kelly. She is joined in conversation by representatives from various city agencies who have formed a coalition for the transformation of the amusement park into a year-round entertainment complex. After a period of tremendous popularity in the early 20th century, New York’s quintessential amusement park and resort has suffered from neglect. Panelists discuss plans for new attractions, restaurants, and hotels that aim to revitalize this famed part of the New York seashore. Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. at 103rd Street, 212-534-1672, $9 general, $5 students and seniors.

BRIGHT IDEAS British minimalist Martin Creed discusses his work and creative process as part of the Museum of Modern Art’s Conversations with Contemporary Artists series. Mr. Creed received the Tate Gallery’s prestigious Turner Prize in 2001 for his “Work No. 227, the Lights Going On and Off,” in which the lights in a room were repeatedly turned on and off. The simplicity of his works has sparked considerable debate in the art world about the artistic value of such projects.

Friday, 6:30 p.m., MoMA, the Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education and Research Building, Theater 3, 11 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-708-9400, $10 general, $8 members, $5 students, seniors, and museum staff.

DRAWINGS

WORLDS COLLIDE Fawad Khan’s first solo exhibit comprises a series of gouache drawings that combine themes of reaction, surprise, and angst about current events. Mr. Khan was born on a Libyan military base and raised in Karachi before moving to America. His work bears the stamp of this experience: He frequently juxtaposes images of soldiers with crashing vehicles, whether buses or postal trucks, against camouflage backdrops. Selections from the exhibit include “Karakoram Express (Collision Zone)” (2007), above. Through Thursday, April 24, Tuesday–Friday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Saturday, noon–6 p.m., 33 Bond Gallery, 33 Bond St., between Lafayette Street and the Bowery, 212-845-9257, free.

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