John Burke's importance in the visual arts scene in Cork has been well documented and hardly needs to be addressed here. Something of a maverick, his visibility in terms of showing has been constant, but not prolific - making this exhibition at the Crawford all the more welcome.

The first thing to hit you in the crammed upstairs Modern Galleries is the uniform rationality of his style, a consistency of vision which borders upon the unsettling. Broadly speaking, its hard edge formalism which locals will be particularly familiar with thanks to a tradition of welded steel sculpture in Cork - something which Burke helped initiate. But if large-scale outdoor pieces are not to everyone's taste, then these smaller works are likely to have wider appeal.

Surveying the 27 pieces, there is no doubting Burke's skill for forcing metal to do his will, the steel manipulated as easily as another artist might manipulate clay. Interestingly though, Burke's tendency to disguise metal behind paint, usually charcoal in colour with flashes of red, blue or turquoise, suggests a certain dissatisfaction with the look of raw metal. This pristine finish does help though to move the work away from the dogged maquette label, but it also makes the unpainted work all the more fascinating, as natural colour and evidence of cutting lend further substance.

But ultimately it is the various structural formats which define the essence of Burke's output: the way platforms rise, arcs sweep through the air, rods and prongs play with balance; the way shapes are countersunk within others, or puncture the surrounding space. A relentless inquiry well worth getting immersed in.

Runs until June 9th