Contemporary art lovers take note – Opera Gallery will be hosting Inner Space, the first London exhibition of artists Sas and Colin Christian.

The American-based partners have gained significant recognition worldwide, and their latest exhibition is set to take art lovers on an unforgettable journey into one’s subconscious.

Sas is a self-taught painter who couples tongue-in-cheek humour and Harajaku influences with strong imagery of “flirty, punk, Catholic and damaged, but not broken girls” to create vibrant oil portraits. Her husband, Colin, crafts extraordinary fiberglass sculptures inspired by old sci-fi films, pin-up girls and anime. Since 2004, Colin has used silicone to take cartoon realism to the next level, translating line drawing into stunning 3D reality.

From 3 Feb, 2010. Opera Gallery London, 134 New Bond Street, London W1S 2TF;  Tel : (+44) 0207 491 2999; Email: london@operagallery.com

British avant-garde design house Fredrikson Stallard is set to inaugurate its latest display Gasoline Gardens at London’s David Gill Galleries.

The exhibit features fifteen porcelain vases created in collaboration with traditional Chinese porcelain makers and a UK airbrushing artist, effortlessly fusing two contrasting cultures to create astonishing contemporary design.

According to the designers, “We are creating a cultural collision. But in both cases the work is about status. In China, the vase was a symbol of power and wealth and in 20th century America, the car fulfilled the same role. But while the Chinese decorated their vases with dragons and flames, the American hot rod painters went for sexy girls and smoke.”

Each unique vase is layered with differing imagery as sinuous girls emerge from flames, smoke, and streaks of silver.

Gasoline Gardens, 20 November-22 December 2009. David Gill Galleries, 3 Loughborough Street, London SE11 5RB. T: (+44) 0207 793 1100.

Iranian artists are making waves in the international art scene by drawing upon the rich history and traditions of their native country. Exploring conflicts between modernism and tradition, the artists are painting the paradoxes of contemporary life, providing rare insight into their social and cultural evolution.

Acknowledging the growing interest in Iranian art, London’s Opera Gallery is hosting an unmissable exhibit of prominent Iranian artists including Alireza Fani, Reza Derakshani, Yasmina Alaoui and Marco Guerra.

Until 10 December, 2009. Opera Gallery, 134 New Bond Street, London W1S 2TF, UK.

Targeted at young aesthetes and their (hopefully deep) pockets, the New York Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) recently celebrated its one-year Anniversary with a madcap Paper Ball. The tightly curated exhibit Slash: Paper Under The Knife includes site-specific installations and new works by over 50 contemporary artists – in paper! The paper gowns on display (Rubin Chapelle, Zaldy, Kai Kuhne among others) would be coveted in any material. Cult New York label Ruffian executed a 19th century ensemble that included a hat and dog and which was laser cut, pleated, folded and crafted wholly from printed paper.

The launch was hosted by one of our favourite Mad Men, Bryan Batt, and the lovely Rose McGowan, and was attended by social glitterati and the Who’s Who of design circles. Kristeen Young, a young musician known for her style in both music and fashion merged classic with cutting-edge in striking black and white cut-outs, scoring a perfect ten for the evening.

Slash: Paper Under The Knife, Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, New York, 10019. Until April 4 2010.

Hailed as the “leading female artist of the burgeoning Pop Surrealism movement” by NY Arts Magazine, Lori Earley is celebrated for her ethereal portraits of femme fatales. Reflecting a distorted reality, Earley’s subjects are characterised by elongated figures, exaggerated eyes, Victorianesque couture and textured backgrounds.

Mystery and melancholy combine with an intense colour palette in Earley’s latest exhibition at London’s Opera Gallery. Already highly sought after by art collectors, Laments and Lullabies is Earley’s most ambitious and evocative collection to date. An intuitive painter, Earley’s stylised portraits depict a rare artistic finesse, extraordinary eye for detail and raw human emotion.

Laments and Lullabies is exhibiting at Opera Gallery, 134 New Bond Street, London W1S2TF from 16 Oct – 11 Nov, 2009.

Last night, the Salvatore Ferragamo Old Bond Street boutique in London celebrated the start of the Frieze Art Fair 2009 with an exhibition by Blue and Joy.  Devised by Fabio La Fauci and Daniele Sigalot,  Blue and Joy creations are characterised by maverick characters, a selection of which are currently on display and for sale at the boutique.

As Kevin Robert, CEO of Saatch&Saatchi, remarks, “Blue and Joy are dreamers. They create smiles wherever their work lives. Ideas are what matters in today’s world, and Blue and Joy encompass that completely with their creativity shining through regardless of the medium. This show’s fearless.”

The exhibition culminates in a unique 2.30 by 1.5 metre bespoke button masterpiece made from 35,000 Salvatore Ferragamo vintage buttons. These buttons have been carefully selected from the maison’s Florentine factories and are made of a variety of materials, including mother-of-pearl, metal and bone.

Blue and Joy, Salvatore Ferragamo, 24 Old Bond Street, London, UK. Until 24 October 2009.

Spike Jonze and Meryl Streep on the set of Adaptation (2002). USA. Directed by Spike Jonze. © Brigitte Lacombe. Courtesy of MoMA.

New York: The wacky and marvelous Spike Jonze is celebrating his “First 80 Years” at the MoMA this month as part of the museum’s Filmmaker in Focus series. On opening night, which took place on October 8, Jonze participated in an animated open-night discussion alongside writer Maurice Sendak and exhibition curator Joshua Siegel. If you missed him live, keep an eye out over your shoulder for any mysterious characters in big glasses and a goofy hat, for he may just be attending one of his own screenings. However, Jonze is also known for his mind games, so imposters are likely.

 Paris: On the outskirts of Paris stands the largest prison in Europe: Fleury-Mérogis. Housing over 1,000 more inmates than it was designed to hold, it is filled with people from over 120 nations across the world. In fact, it is not uncommon for inmates to form rivalries against each other that cause great (and often violent) upheavals. Intrigued, French director Jacques Audiard was convinced that Fleury-Mérogis would be the basis of a great film. He was right. A little French history mixed with a dash of American action have made Un Prophète a smash hit. It has caused so much of a debate that the French Parliament is even trying to reform prison conditions for the first time since World War II. The film has just hit Russian movie theatres and will soon be showing worldwide.

Man has forever remained fascinated by all things unhuman. With the rapid development of technology, computers and robots have begun to resemble evermore man, raising questions as to our role within Nature. Will such sophisticated technological creatures cause us to form emotive bonds with computers? Will man one day fall in love with a female android?

These are the questions gallery owner, Thierry Ruby, will seek to raise and explore in his upcoming display, Venus Robotica. Hosted at the Gallery Cabinet des Curieux in Paris, Ruby has gathered he works of 15 differing artists from across the world in his mission to define what could be the robotico-feminine ideal of tomorrow.

‘Venus Robotica’, 15 Oct – 28 Nov 2009, Gallery Cabinet des Curieux, 12 Passage Verdeau 75009 Paris, France; T: +33 (0) 1 44830957.

Committed to showcasing emerging artists, London’s concept and lingerie store Apartment C will be exhibiting the work of young photographer, Natalie Dybisz  (also known as Miss Arniela), in Self-Gazing.

Dybisz is a 23 year-old Brighton-based photographer who exploded onto the scene in 2006 via Flickr, which she used to create and showcase her independently produced, digitally processed self-portraits. Within 6 months, Miss Aniela’s Flickr account acquired 1 million hits and soon after, she began exhibiting her works in both Europe and the US. She has also made guest appearances at Microsoft and Blurb during world-leading tradeshows such as Photokina.

‘Self-Gazing’, Apartment C, Marylebone High Street, London W1. From 15 October 2009 – 5 January 2010. Limited edition prints will be on sale.

Image courtesy of Sterling Communication

London: Add some spice to your life at the Brick Lane Curry Festival with al fresco food, eclectic music, live performances and dancing in the street. The East End transforms into party central with roads closed for full access to the fun. What will you be doing? Hopefully, sipping a Cobra and joining the action. The event commences September 27 and lasts until 0ctober 10, so you have no excuse to miss it.

Paris: Next time you’re in the Le Marais district, check out the Musée Carnavalet. Housed in two renaissance era mansions, the museum offers an artistic take on Parisian history and is conveniently situated in the heart of the neighbourhood, amidst quaint shops and cafés.

Everywhere: Have you ever wondered what a cheerleader’s life is really like? Or what flight attendants do when they are not serving passengers? Perhaps you have never quite understood the concept of Greek fraternities in America? Art and fashion photographer Brian Finke captures the inside perspective, producing snapshots which are strangely glamorous and incredibly enthralling.

In his latest and largest exhibition to date, Arad presents his vision of industrial design and architecture at New York’s MoMA. Using materials such as fiber optics, crystals and steel, Arad moulds dynamic functionality and modernism  into one, creating everything from stylized ornaments to oversized furniture.

The exhibition includes Arad’s signature spiral Bookworm bookshelf and furniture that can receive and display SMS and Bluetooth messages from mobile phones and Palm Pilots.

Arad’s uses dynamic design and cutting-edge technology to embellish an ordinary life. Most importantly, Arad’s creations depict a simple truth– that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Not everyone is born an artist, but we all have the potential to become one, even if just by rearranging furniture.

‘Ron Arad: No Discipline’ runs until October 19, 2009; For more information, visit MoMA

Madreperla knitted dress by Missoni, A/W 09-10.

Intriguing links between art and fashion are traced and exposed in Workshop Missoni: Daring to be Different, currently on display at London’s Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art. The Missoni brand certainly needs no introduction, and what remains fascinating about this display is that Luca Missoni himself (son of founders Ottavio and Rosita Missoni) is its curator. His aim was to connect signature Missoni patterns and the maison’s design history with futuristic paintings by placing them side by side within the same space–an ingenious idea indeed.

Although Missoni’s patterns and production methods have evolved over the decades, the brand’s distinctive stylistic flair has remained intact. The exhibition focuses upon the inspiration Futurists have had over the Missoni aesthetic, placing glorious garments and evening dresses alongside pottery and works by artists such as Sonia Delaunay, Giacomo Balla, and Gino Severini.

Personally, I would have traced the Missoni vision to Pointillism  rather than to Futurism, however what remains certain is that this is an exhibition which is not to be missed. Whilst visiting, make sure you also view the exquisite collection of art and sculpture dating from the late 19th century which the Estorick Collection houses.

‘Workshop Missoni: Daring to be Different’ is on display until 20 September 2009.