▶ NEW IN THE STOCKROOM: JIM CROKE 'ALL SORTS' & 'OUT OF SORTS'

Left: Jim Croke, 'All Sorts' 2011, steel, 11 x 13 x 12cm 

Right: Jim Croke, 'Out of Sorts' 2010, steel, 8 x 14 x 14cm 

‘All Sorts’ and ‘Out of Sorts’ display Jim Croke’s ability to create lively sculptures out of heavy materials. When viewed from above, there is an illusionary endless depth to both works, as the blocks are piled on top of each other with little breathing space. Once given a side-view, the cubes seem to bubble above their bases, adding lightness to these dense, compact pieces. Conjuring thoughts of liquorice cubes in its title, ‘All Sorts’ displays a balancing act, as the solid chunks appear to be on the brink of toppling over. Reminiscent of sugar lumps, the blocks in ‘Out of Sorts’ are only just contained by their cubed base. Both sculptures are similar in nature and feel to Croke’s 2009 work ‘Looking at a River but Thinking of the Sea,’ in that they share the same sense of activity and tension. Where the larger work consumes the viewer in it’s jumbled and chaotic appearance, ‘All Sorts’ and ‘Out of Sorts’ are more like compact worlds about to explode.