There is a mix of old and new, familiar and unfamiliar in this well-defined, cohesive group show at the Vangard Gallery. A number of Charles Harper's paintings have been exhibited before (not in itself an unusual feature for any artist), but this is a welcome re-acquaintance.
Treescape is a fabulous confluence of exaggerated colour and shape, anchored within a sweeping vista. The effect is like a brightly coloured mesmerising camouflage draped over the landscape.
The new and unfamiliar (to this reviewer) comes in the shape of Richard Slade, who has not had a solo exhibition since 1993. He is a painter with a very bold, distinctive style that would benefit from a more sympathetic presentation. A painter's painter, he lashes on the oil-paint, but does so with a controlled fluidity reminiscent of Frank Auerbach.
Contrast this style with the precision of Tom Fitzgerald's sculptures, in particular To Me, To You, a wallmounted installation made from slate and stone.
A list of personal pronouns as Gaeilge is inscribed onto the stones, beneath which lies a replica of a saw, hammer, hatchet and so on, each carved with incredible precision.
The thematic content is open enough, but the rote Irish perhaps relates to childhood experiences or relationships.
The last contributor is John Shinnors, showing a polyptych of five panels. The relationship between black and white in Shinnors's work is ever more enhanced as bold contrasts establish the primacy of structural concerns.
This feature ensures that the five parts link together effortlessly, almost like a tangram. The content of fields viewed through aerial perspective with a fleeting kite also ties this beguiling geometry together.
Runs until April 28th