Mail&Guardian ~ October 5 to 11 2007

A painting by Lara Mellon

Combining industrial grit with conceptual gusto is artSPACE durban, the first gallery in town in a long while to eschew the suburbs and defy convention by setting up shop in the industrial surrounds of Umgeni Road, next door to landmark establishment Waste Centre.

The bold move has paid off handsomely - the gallery has rapidly built a reputation for its stalwart championing of iconoclastic contemporary art and maintains an impressive turnover of quality exhibitions.

Recently opened at the gallery is Earth, Light and Spirit, an exhibition of works by Durban artists Maggie Strachan, Lara Mellon and Roz Cryer, which runs until Saturday October 13. Strachan's work explores the ambiguous relationship between that which seems structured adn that which seems shrouded in shadow, Mellon's paintings are inspired by the search for essence while Cryer's paintings capture moments in nature where light and shadows are the primary focus. artSPACE durban is now open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm and from 10am to pm on Saturdays. Tel: 031 312 0793 / 083 300 9804 or visit www.artspacedurbanco.za