'Worlds On Fire' opening night shots...

Thanks to will.i.am and Justin Giarla of the Shooting Gallery along with Kris Lewis, the worlds of music and contemporary art collided head on last night in the heart of downtown Los Angeles' art district for the VIP opening of Worlds On Fire. The invite-only GenArt sponsored event was packed from the jump off and heated up as the night drew on.

Opening night crush...

Van Arno in front of his stunning BB King portrait.

Travis Louie with his portrait of Trent Reznor (NIN).

Kris Lewis alongside his portrait of Beck.

Mr. Brainwash alongside his mosaic piece of Jay-Z made out of old vinyl LPs.

Mike Maxwell poses with his piece of 'The Boss', Bruce Springsteen.

Artist couple Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas were in town for Brandt's show at 1988 (opening this evening) and popped in to support their close friends Sas & Colin Christian and take in the festivities... if you get a chance, be sure to check out Brandt's debut solo over at 1988.

Shawn from Thinkspace with man of the hour will.i.am

The man who pulled the show all together - Shooting Gallery's Justin Giarla with up and coming monster Henry Lewis.

Speaking of Henry Lewis, his portrat of Nas was one of the showstoppers in our opinion...

As was this stunning portrait of Snoop Dogg from Jeremy Lipkin. Just amazing - one of the best in show by far.

Some great photos can also be found here and here, as well as images of most of the works in the exhibit - so be sure to check out both AM and Daily D for more.

Each of the show pieces will be sold by silent auction with the proceeds going to the Peapod Foundation.

Worlds on Fire runs through Sunday February 8th, so there’s still time to catch this killer exhibit. For full details and hours check out http://worldsonfire.dipdive.com/

Pacific Electric Lofts @ 610 S. Main Street in downtown Los Angeles

'Worlds On Fire' opens tonight...

Will.i.am presents Worlds on Fire (previewed here), a pop music and pop art collaboration. This special exhibit will serve as the premier event to kick off Grammy week. Worlds on Fire was conceived by will.i.am, one of pop music’s most creative, socially conscious and influential artists today, in conjunction with his popular social and political networking site, Dipdive.com.

Only the most popular and renowned pop surrealism artists have been commissioned to immortalize an elite selection of this year’s Grammy nominees with a personal portrait at the World on Fire exhibition. The portrait will serve as a lasting impression of the musician to commemorate their outstanding contributions to the world of music. Artists such as Ron English, Van Arno, Ian Johnson, Greg Gossel, Lori Earley and many more will have their works of art on display featuring 25 musical icons including Paul McCartney, B.B. King, Al Green, Metallica, Jay-Z and Madonna. All of the original artwork will be on sale via silent auction with limited edition prints of each individual portrait also available for purchase.

Worlds on Fire is teaming up with leading arts and entertainment tastemaker, Gen Art, to host this Grammy week-long exhibition curetted by the Shooting Gallery, Kris Lewis, Justin Giarla and will.i.am. Proceeds from Worlds on Fire will benefit local charities including will.i.am’s The Peapod Foundation and the Watts Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club to support Los Angeles youths in need.

Pacific Electric Lofts (Corner Of 6th And Main) 610 S. Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90014

Opening Reception Hosted By Gen Art & will.i.am:
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 7:00PM – 1:00AM (this appears to be invite only - please be aware of this before attending tonight - but open throughout the week with other events to follow...)

Gallery Hours:
February 3rd – February 8th, 2009 1:00PM – 7:00PM

Some great preview shots are posted over at Arrested Motion here.

For all the latest, check out www.dipdive.com