Critic's picks - visual arts

Building "Momentum"

The South African artist Nicholas Hlobo's "Momentum" installation (detail, above) at the Institute of Contemporary Art is charming. Featuring a large stomach- or womb-shaped sculpture made of black rubber, suspended from the ceiling and embroidered with meandering lines of colorful ribbon, the installation is inspired by Xhosa culture and has an intricate gorgeousness, a handmade flair, and an ability to seduce both from afar and close-up. But it also consists of just three works; and that's not enough. Through Oct. 26. 617-478-3100, www.icaboston.org

Making the modern watercolor

The Yale Center for British Art in New Haven is wrapping up its celebration of the centenary of founder Paul Mellon's birth with "Great British Watercolors," taken from the extraordinary Mellon Collection. (Thomas Girtin's "Tynemouth Priory, Northumberland," above.) The show neatly tells the story of how British artists revolutionized the watercolor; by the mid-19th century, it was regarded on equal terms with oil painting, and the achievements of British artists in the medium were a source of national pride. Through Aug. 17. 203-432-2800, www.ycba.yale.edu

— Sebastian Smee