Fenton Gallery, Cork

Seven years have elapsed since Leo McCann's last solo exhibition. Nevertheless, this interval has been a productive one, as his return is marked by a distinct re-invention in terms of artistic style and practice. This is characterised by a move from controlled narrative-driven imagery, to an altogether more expressive and fluid approach. Both have their place in McCann's oeuvre, and it is fascinating to see the evolution from one to the other.

In this body of work we see an inventive and adaptable approach to the language of mark making.

An example of this diversity can be illustrated by two very different paintings. First, there is While You Were Away, a sparse, sensitive portrait in which line floats beautifully over an indistinct background. In contrast to this is A Pathway, a painting built around complex layering of textures to represent a lush medieval landscape populated with strange characters and motifs. Both in different ways have the power to transfix and absorb.

In terms of presentation and finish there is a certain irreverence - the artist wilfully fighting against the need to add refinement, even allowing the unpainted edges to influence (problematically) quite subtle compositions.

But while McCann has successfully embraced a new way of working, he still allows a certain amount of precision and narrative content to emerge. In many ways this is unsurprising - McCann's art is too idiosyncratic to allow cerebral abstraction to exist by itself.

Smattered throughout these paintings we see wit, invective, surreal irony, fantasy, eroticism and perhaps even a little pathos. Substantially, all add depth and resonance to this exhibition.

By Mark Ewart

Runs until February 3rd