The futuristic concrete metropolis of São Paulo is the incongruous setting of this month’s art destination. In what amounts to a hemispheric trade swap— Brazilian models and cosmetic surgery for North American goods—the Carlton Arts festival has lured fashion impresarios Imitation of Christ and Visionaire, theater maestro Robert Lepage, and director David Cronenberg to show their wares. Presenting itself as the sophisticates’ alternative to Rio’s thongs-on-the-beach, the world’s second-largest city boasts an I Spy itinerary for cultural adventurers: catch artist Vik Muniz at Galena Camargo ’ Vilaca, shop at Daslu with the wives and mistresses of billionaire mining barons, dine at Carlota or Nakombi, and do the craze-of-the-moment funk dance at the Lovestory danceteria, where various socialites and hookers relax after work. Following the festival comes fashion week, when Andre Lima and Alexandre Herchcovitch head Brazil’s push for international frock fame. “The beauty of São Paulo is its urban energy,” says Camargo Vilaca’s Marcia Fortes. “People move fast here. It’s where things can happen.”