Join us for cocktails and music at the Rendez-Vous show tomorrow night. Details on the flyer below:

If you’ve never heard of Canadian artist Marcel Dzama, check out this wonderfully macabre video for freak folksters Department of Eagles‘ “No One Doesn’t Like You”. Notice the ghosts in the background? Pure Dzama. Now Montrealers can see the in-demand wunderkind’s work for themselves, as earlier this month The Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal kicked off Marcel Dzama’s largest solo show.

While the video he co-directed with Patrick Daughters introduced plaid-adorned scenesters to this artist’s creative mind, austere, tie-wearing curators and gallerists already had him under their radar. After moving from Winnipeg to New York to get closer to David Zwirner (one of the top contemporary art galleries today) in 2003, his pieces are now featured in the MoMA collection and have been shown at the Whitney Biennale and all over Europe.

So it is with some excitement that Montreal welcomes this solo exhibit. Dzama’a ghosts and soul-searching amputees are there, as well as his armies of Napoleon-like figures and mini skirt dancing terrorists. Presenting a multitude of his drawings, sculptures, dioramas, and collages, the show gives an overview of the artist’s signature style; works with a muted palette, melancholic figures and eerie scenery that very often hide uncanny topics charged with sexuality and violence. To all our readers in Montreal: this show is not to be missed.

Marcel Dzama: Of Many Turns runs until April 25.

-Chloe Roubert

Fashion bloggers-turned-super couple Scott Schuman and Garance Doré are in town this week for New York Fashion Week but they’re not just here to cover the shows and streeters. The two are teaming up for a joint seminar this Wednesday focused on social media in fashion.

Schuman, a veteran of sales and marketing for high fashion designers, is now better known as The Sartorialist, and runs a popular fashion blog. Doré, meantime, is an illustrator and photographer who’s also gained a loyal readership for her Paris-based blog. The couple will share their insights into how social media will change the fashion industry — a topic that might not even have been relevant as little as five years ago! The seminar takes place at Tribeca Skyline Studios Wednesday night from 7-8 pm, followed by a one hour cocktail reception. Space is limited and tickets may be purchased online HERE. More details on the flyer below:

We had a chance to attend the LNA after-party at Milk Studios last night where the guest of honor (and featured performer) was none other than the legendary Patti Smith. The punk icon took the stage just after midnight and enthralled the packed room with a short set of five songs. She led it off with “Gloria” and ended with “Because the Night,” which she dedicated to Alexander Lee McQueen, calling him one of the most creative and life-changing people she has ever met.

The crowd of models, stylists and lucky journos danced and hollered along to every song, while Smith lapped it all up, even jumping into the audience to trade a few verses. The singer was at her feisty best, snapping back at rowdy drunks and sarcastically chastising the crowd for tearing apart the pristine gallery/fashion show space. But it was all in good fun (We had a chance to meet Smith after the show and she was amazing, commenting on how much she loved the crowd and the energy). The night just served to remind us that fashion is meant to be celebrated and sometimes you can’t take it (or fashion week for that matter) too seriously. Sometimes it’s okay to just let go, forget about the distractions and just rock out. Check out more photos from the party below:

If you’re looking for a meaningful alternative to the wining and dining this Valentine’s Day weekend, consider stopping by the second annual “Heartbeats for Africa” fundraiser. The event, held in Toronto, is an art show and party that raises money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which funds HIV/AIDS research in Africa. This year, organizers have asked some of the city’s best artists and designers to create original pieces to be put up for auction. The theme was flexible, with the only caveat being that the piece had to reference the color red. Curious to see what everyone came up with? Information on the fundraiser and silent auction is on the flyer below: