Photograph by Lars Fassinger.

Hell—not exactly the place you want to end up. But how’s about a quick peek, just to see what all the fuss is about?

Get a glimpse at “Hell’s Half-Acre,” a collection of underworld renderings from 20 contemporary artists like Antony Micallef, porn-collage artist Jonathan Yeo, and taxidermy sculptress Polly Morgan, opening October 12 at the Old Vic Tunnels in London. The concept comes from Steve Lazarides, the urban art dealer and curator who launched Banksy’s career. Like Leo Castelli, Mary Boone and Bruno Bischofberger before him—the gallerists who put artists like Warhol, Rauschenberg and Schnabel on the map—Lazarides has become a champion for the artist as individual. He’s excelled at “mentoring new talent, nurturing the creative process and presenting work that is free to the public,” says actor Kevin Spacey, a co-curator of the show and the artistic director at the Old Vic Theatre.The Bristol-born Lazarides approaches “Hell’ with humility. “This whole art thing,” as he refers to his career, came about by accident. “I’m never looking for anything in particular,” he says. “It’s always a gut thing. I have to love it. I was a DJ at one point; but I couldn’t DJ for shit, but I could always pick a great record.”

His taste has earned him a celebrity following (Jude Law, John Cusack and Christina Aguilera, to name a few). “I met him about eight years ago,” recalls Law. “It was at different sort of art show really ramshackle. Paintings pinned to the walls, sitting on the floor, maybe some of them stolen— I don’t know it was really an underground experience, like nothing I’d ever seen before. Steve’s a bit of an event in himself, and his openings are the same.”

Despite being a showman, Lazarides hates the openings, though they are always outrageously successful. Par example: In 2006, he showed Banksy’s work in a warehouse off L.A.’s Skid Row. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie showed up and the show sold out, making Lazarides and Banksy millions. “I don’t like being there,” he muses. “I like everything up until the door opens; I put everything into that moment.” Ahead of his next big show, he chatted with VF—excerpts:

Susan Michals: What’s your idea of Hades?

Steve Lazarides: My version of hell is a dog that weighs more than me and is basically made up of jaw and solid muscle and weighs about eight stone. I wanted to get a bunch of pitbulls to mark the front entrance of “Hell’s Half Acre,” but lately there’ve been a lot of problems containing them. Plus you can’t plan how they might get along with one another. [Lazarides settled for a soundtrack of angry pit bulls barking instead].

“Hell’s Half Acre”—where did you get that title?

I like fairgrounds and fair workers and the aesthetic of it all; I was going to do a show years ago that was a sort of twisted fairground theme in the late 50’s in the States, there was a ride that traveled around called “Hell’s Half Acre” and another called Hitler’s Henchman. “Hell’s Half Acre” was a depiction of war inside. In the Old Vic Tunnels, it’s also about a half-acre of space that we’ll be covering.

You’re co-curating with Kevin Spacey. How’s that working out for you?

We talked about coming up with a sort of theatrical element, so it becomes more of an experience as opposed to just an art show. People’s time is precious and I’m asking for some of it. Do they want to be entertained, or they want to go to some gallery with dry white walls and some chippy bastards working behind the desk? It’s a social event; not a purely monetary thing—at least to me.