Portobello Gold in Notting Hill hosts a group exhibition in July by seven London based photographers from different spheres.      ‘Utopia – Vain Dreams of a Never-Never Land?’ was born from the diverse  interpretations of a cosmopolitan collective of photographers: Karen Adams; Max Bonini; Lorraine Botbol; Yvonne Hector; Niall McOnegal; Lauren Rhodes and Diana Zehetner.   With irony, ambiguity and optimism, this show seeks to investigate and interpret the utopian impulse in contemporary culture.  The work questions whether the search for Utopia, the imaginary perfect place, is a hopelessly discredited vain dream of a Never-Never Land or is still a symbol of our search for happiness, arising from desire and depending on hope - the principle of all progress.  In a world saturated in utopian fantasies, these photographers explore the possibilities of the concept of Utopia today through fashion, portraiture, urban landscapes, documentary and dance photography.   Karen Adams portraits of Trellick Tower reference 19th Century architectural utopians and urban planners such as Erno Goldfinger and Le Corbusier who would engineer society through design.  These concrete structures privileged form over social process.  The camera is focussed on the distance between reality and utopia, creating fragile, dream-like and unfinished photographs which suggest that it is our utopian longings and dreams of a better life that animate us and make us continue to search for that peaceful island.   Max Bonini contemplates utopia with an idealized vision of fairytales in a modern fashion context and in terms of the contemporary shop window, within which fashion operates.  The depth of these images is in their contradiction with the reality of modern life and its constructs.   Lorraine Botbol has produced social portraiture which reflects one man's search for the physical ideal in the human form.  The vain desire for the perfect body, and the importance that society places on physicality, are enduring symbols of the utopian impulse in the modern world.       Yvonne Hector's fashion portraiture is located in derelict and abandoned sites of Christianity and considers biblical concepts surrounding Heaven. Whilst churches are being built, many are being pulled down.  Yvonne has based her images around the idea that reaching Heaven is not just about what happens within the confines of four walls but upon the condition of your heart.   Niall McOnegal, advertising and architecture photographer, investigates the utopian impulse in contemporary culture as witnessed by weekend pilgrimages to a well-known retail destination of choice - a modern day mecca that can transform a home into a homogenous but reliable utopian environment for consumers demanding a cost-effective no-risk policy in household interior fashion statements.  Summer has started, its time to start living.     Lauren Rhodes uses scepticism and irony in a reflective approach to the utopian ideal. Drawing from the absurd idea that the human race can reach a Utopian society, she explores her own dreams and fantasies by creating a Utopian world of her own.   Diana Zehetner, a contemporary dance photographer, considers the spectacle and emotion of movement to provide the viewer with a glimpse of a visionary world, which can only be seen for a fraction of a second at a time.