This is a tour de force for everyone, whether you're religiously inclined or not. If you enjoy an eclectic exhibition here's where you'll find seventy works, in all matter of media and style, sitting on the floor and hanging on the walls of the gallery and mezzanine corridor. It’s art heaven! Granted, not all the exhibits are to my taste but few can be faulted and most engage the viewer with their unique reading of the theme The passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

Some images take us into unusual contemporary settings like a boxing ring or a hospice, others transport us back to an over-crowded Old Testament landscape, and there are those that are too literal to be of interest. There are figurative and abstract works but it’s the few suggesting the mystery of a theme that transcends time and ideology, that make the best viewing.

One of the 'mysterious and timeless' genre is the winner. Connie Petrillo's dark, figurative oil on canvas work has us contemplating injustice. The title Without finding any motive for his death, they condemned him and asked Pilate to have him killed comes from the Acts of the Apostles but the image is set in modern times. The face of a young man looks out at us from a huddle of covered, cowering forms. An arrogant man of authority sits in a chair next to a stack of 'official' papers while above and behind the huddled group, a youthful Christ hangs on His cross. It’s dark in mood, but not without a sense of hope, especially in the face of the Christ, which is similar to that of the boy. The image evokes many questions but I've decided on my own answers; every young man emerges from childhood, confronts his own bureaucratic Pilate, suffers but rises above it to become the better man.

Another figurative image, one that calls to us from across the room, is Via Dolorosa (Way of Grief) by Claire Glen Hughes. This digital composite and oil glaze on canvas invites and inspires contemplation. The central portrait of a sad but composed Christ is framed by fourteen smaller, richly coloured images of fleeting figures, faces, places, atmosphere and landscapes. It brings to mind the 14 Stations of the Cross as we contemplate how the beauty of all life can so easily be lost, and hopefully regained.

Again in the figurative style, I found Cedric Baxter's seemingly simple Golgotha Tree  had interpreted the theme perfectly. This vertical triptych in black and white has at its base, strong roots that support the tree, which Christ is nailed to, then branches out into fruitful abundance in the topmost panel.  It brought to mind Klee's simile of the tree that explains the creative process; 'at his appointed place, the trunk of the tree, he does nothing other than gather and pass on what comes to him from the depths. He neither serves nor rules - he transmits.' Beautiful, thoughtful exhibit.

Of the abstractions, two works held my interest; one provided space for quiet contemplation, the other offered intellectual stimulation. Helen Forbes (Long) presents layers of shapes, textures and warm hues in her And Love Is Still All There Is. The work invites the viewer into a well balanced world where suffering will be healed. After investigating the mixed media on the surface, stand back and enjoy the gentle, mental wanderings it evokes. A peaceful and satisfying composition.

Ron Nyisztor's abstract work demands close inspection as what you see is only half of what you get. TOTAL - body mind spirit involves a surface of  transparent panels that have been painted then partially scraped clean. Each panel wears different scratches of colours and some reveal broken slats of the wood that supports the work. The words Way, Truth, Life are written, one on each panel while a fourth evokes the 'through a glass darkly' idea and bears no words of comfort. Look again and you realize 'truth' is printed backwards, which if you're mildly dyslexic, may be seen as 'hurt'. Thought provoking and a unique application of the theme.

Of the 3D works, Ron Gomboc's Rising of the Spirit and Soul inspires, Tim MacFarlane Reid's A Just Man intrigues, but the 60 year old piece of paddock wood fashioned into The Passion Cross by Jim Svensson totally involves mind, heart and spirit. It's curved shape can be seen as either bowing under the weight of the world or bending backwards to sing hymns up to heaven, according to your individual interpretation of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. An excellent example of co-operation between the hand of man and the force of nature. Good one!

See the exhibition, be inspired, and enjoy some fine works of art.