Visually arresting, sensually challenging

by Nicola Shepherd

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FROM the beautiful to the bizarre, the best�current and upcoming visual arts offerings from home and all around the world.

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The Tate Gallery

Starting in London, the exhibiiton at Tate Modern Century City: Art and Culture in the Modern Metroplis features works inspired by artists from cities all over the world, which have experienced political and social upheaval in the twentieth century. It's on until 29 April.

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The V&A's tie-up with the Serpentine gallery juxtaposes classical works with modern (until 1 April). Look out for Marc Quinn's modern sculptures of people with disabilities, and Yinka Shonibare's waxwork Mr and Mrs Andrews Without Their Heads (after Thomas Gainsborough).

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Still in London a truly unmissable event promises to be Beck's Futures at the ICA. Featuring artists only recently purchased by Charles Saatchi, there's an outsize mini outside in the car park, a video of children holding their breath, and a performance artist hassling drunk people in the street. Weird but wonderful, from March to May.

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Edinburgh has exhibitions of the photography of David Bailey at the Dean Gallery until 22 April, look out for his nudes; Lee Miller the surrealist photographer at the Gallery of Modern Art (starts in May) and surrealist artist Roland Penrose also at the Dean Gallery from May.

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Staying in Scotland the Up Helly Aa at Brae will be doing the usual sacrificial ship-burning and sun workshipping again on 16 March this year.

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In Dublin there's a real treat in June (12-18) in the Degree Show at the National College�of Art and Design. This is the college that produced Philip Treacy, hatmaker to the stars, and some truly challenging pieces are promised. There's also conceptual artist Dennis Oppenheim's Land and Body Art from the 1960s and 70s at the Museum of Modern Art until 22 April, and in September Dublin's Fringe Theatre Festival starts.

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Birmingham, lives up to its 'city of high culture' status by hosting the Artsfest again this year from 14-16 September. Treats will include Chinese opera, DJ workshops and dance from ballet to bhangra and jazz to Asian.

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The colours of Manchester�are currently being immeasurably lightenend by the vibrant work of� Andrea Ottaviano at the Blyth Gallery.

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Further afield there's Spamarama - 2001 a Spam Oddity in Austin, Texas, hailed as The Perpetual Pandemonious Party of Pork. Only in America.

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Rekjavik's Institute of Phallology daily unveils the mystery of the penis, in case there was anything you have so far been afraid to ask.

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Visit also the Ice Hotel 200kms north�of the Arctic Circle in Sweden, before it melts in June; the Sydney Mardi Gras festival for a wild celebration; Inazawa City in Japan this week to see bare-bottomed men filling�the streets chasing one Naked Man to give him all their bad luck; and, by way of a rest, the Giorgio Armani exhibition in Bilbao, Spain, from�31 March to 2�September, for a celebration of� the work of this seminal fashion creator.