We thought we'll kill two birds with one stone: Share some Art & Culture from Southern Africa and give you an opportunity to save yourself some luggage dilemmas. We've seen the frustration of trying to pack or ship art back to yourself after your trip to Southern Africa so we're introducing you to Amaridian, a beautiful gallery in New York.

Amaridian is the vision of two South African's, Mary Slack and Fraser Conlon, and provides a platform from which emerging artists from sub-Saharan Africa can present their work. The name Amaridian is a combination of the Zulu word "Amadlozi" meaning "ancestral spirits" and "meridian" the imaginary lines that traverse the globe. The gallery is adorned with art, home décor, and furniture from sub-Saharan African designers. You'll find a wide range of carefully selected items. Examples include vivid hand-sewn fabric collages of Billie Zangewa, lifelike oil paintings by Deborah Poynton, imaginative Ardmore ceramics inspired by Zulu folklore, traditional Nguni pots from Andile Dyalvane, and street-inspired furniture from Cheick Diallo.

If you're in New York pop in to the gallery at 31 Howard Street, SoHo, and speak to Fraser Conlon or Michael Head who run this art gem. It won't beat a safari but on the plus side you won't have jet lag. And of course Roar Africa will still help you get the artworks you do find while on safari back home. Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite.

Photographs (1): The Gallery

Photographs (2): Art (clockwise)

Andile Dyalvane - Traditional Nguni Storage Vessel, Cerramic Matters - Rose and Bird Bowl, Astrid Dahl - Earthenware Ceramic Vessel - Pod, Ethnographic Art - Ethno Statue, Ceramic Matters - Cast White Kudu Horn, Ethnographic Art -

Pygmy Statues

Photographs (3): Art (clockwise)

Cheick Diallo - Armchair, Ardmore - Crocodile Teapot, Egg Designs - Bug Sidetable, Beezy Baily - Untiltled, Gregor Jenkin - Van Die Stel Setalite Floor Lamp, Gregor Jenkin - Rolled Stell Table.

www.amaridianusa.com