People value orthodoxy and rightly so. Radical and revolutionary outlets have their place but once having run their course there is invariably a return to the conservative and safe. Along with orthodoxy, there can be a return to notions such as beauty and the poetic. It is perhaps high time for a return to those values that modernism tried to consign to the trash can of history.

We can acclaim the artists at PICA who, I believe, demonstrate orthodox convictions in this exhibition with flair and virtuosity. But we've seen it all before. There are no provocative forms of abstraction here despite the heady sounding titles. It seems ironic that with the so-called revival of painting in Perth there is also a return to the past with all those esoteric theories so beloved by critics.

For example, Sine MacPherson harks directly back to Richard Lohse, Jeremy Kirwan-Ward to the acrylic staining techniques of Morris Louis and the geometric abstractions of Ludwig Sander. Paul Uhlmann to Larry Poons, Emma Langridge to Ed Moses and Lisa Wolfgramm to Pop Art, all hark back to established and now conservative ways of seeing.

These comments are not meant to be critical of the works themselves which are highly accomplished and enjoyable. But originality also needs to be acclaimed for it's own sake as it is the lifeblood of the future. Originality is always an act of faith and as such is often not recognized or acknowledged.

In this exhibition only John Tarry tries anything original. As such his work carries through influences from the past and adds new dimensions of relevance. A simple test for viewers is to recall images from this exhibition some time later and I would suggest Tarry's images will worry at the fringes of memory. Originality is the powerhouse of the image. In Tarry's work I suggest the colours have a relevance to the contemporary environment. Just look at the colours now used in town house developments and match them with Tarry's. While his forms are a distortion of function they relate to much present industrial progress.

The only poetry here is to be found in plaintive gestures whether etched as a scratch in endless blue or the winding curve of an orange highway as in In Fold. I could go on but in Perth it seems the conservative past is what binds. Originality is not recognized. The future is for the birds and bell towers.