Works On Paper Fenton Gallery, Cork

Minimalist artworks tend to produce a heightened awareness of the surrounding space in which they are displayed

Minimalist artworks tend to produce a heightened awareness of the surrounding space in which they are displayed. The very walls, floor and ceiling can influence the sparse visual content, making sympathetic presentation an absolute necessity. This is clearly evident at the Fenton Gallery, where work by four well-regarded artists has yielded a show of understated elegance.

Richard Gorman's contribution provides something of a culture shock; he forsakes the turbulent style of his abstract oil paintings for a calm and rational simplicity, as irregular flat shapes rendered using muted yet bright colours, lap against each other. Fergus Martin's four etchings are an ultra-minimalist showpiece. Each subtly changes from the next as a black vertical strip increases with mathematical purity and precision - daringly contrasting against large areas of blank paper. By comparison, William McKeown's paintings are busy - as discrete imagery is present in the form of delicately rendered flower heads. But if all this sparseness is (paradoxically) overwhelming, John Graham should offer some respite. His carborundum prints are bold and quite complex as free-flowing lines weave in and out like twisting ivy.

Runs until May 22nd