CONOR FALLON'S sculptures share the main gallery space at the RHA with new paintings by Sean McSweeney. The juxtaposition of the two artists is never a comfortable one, even if the two shows are intended as separate entities.
Fallon's works in bronze, stainless steel and marble all feature birds and fish. Some of them take folk tales as their points of reference, but seem to process edgy myths and legends through a hard, tidy language which has much in common with that of commercial graphic design. Indeed, Fallon seems to compress and distill his metal images until they have the compact presence of corporate icons.
His ravens look sturdy enough to protect a Swiss bank account, while rushes and rapids seem to seize up into severe steel cages. All around, fish curve and writhe, but no matter how they struggle they remain as abrupt and dogmatic as missiles.
The use of stainless steel bases for several of the works is also troublesome. These small table like structures provide support without being in any sense integrated with the pieces. The tables might strike a productively dissonant note, their dry, practical forms contrasting with the vivacious creatures, if the creatures themselves did not have a feel of unexpected functionality.
Reading these strange bases as part of the work, however, seems to be prohibited, since they are advertised as optional extras. As things stand, the problems of difficult pieces, such as a weathered bronze, The Salmon of Knowledge, are simply exacerbated when displayed in this awkward manner.