Although there is a large conceptual component in William West's art, it is not what you would normally classify as conceptual art.

Indeed, there is also an equal amount of attention placed upon the material. His exhibition at the Elliot Gallery is one of balance between these considerations. While each piece is highly finished, the artist expressed concern that his art not be seen as laboured. In this he has been successful.

Materials used by West, however, border on being precious. The show itself is spare with only eight works making-up the entire show. Nevertheless, there is no sense of emptiness in this fairly large gallery space.

Another of West's interests, is that of beauty, which, inexplicably, is not highly valued in the contemporary art world.

In Mr West's case, the beauty of his art is partially in his selection of materials, such as his choice of beautiful woods — walnut or purple heart. There is, however, another more subtle consideration running through the show, that of human concern for personal beauty and the often absurd lengths to which we will go to attain it through exercise, cosmetics and personal grooming and even cosmetic surgery.

Possibly the key to the show is a found-object hanging in the middle of the gallery's south wall, a folded straight razor, once a key object in male grooming. This is the only object in the show not made by Mr. West himself but is a nod to the modern master, Marcel Duchamp. It's title: 'The sudden decay of beauty that had once been so remarkable', is a quote from Oscar Wilde.

The most complex work in the exhibition is 'Fresco/Gymnos'. The conspicuous aspect of this installation is the dozen wooded rings hanging at varying heights from ropes, that are tied to a beam along the floor, but which then runs up the wall and over a ceiling joist. The wooded rings are all hand made by Mr. West from pitch-pine and although this aspect of the work must have taken much time and labour, it is not all that obvious.

The rings are fastened to the ropes by careful splicing, a traditional seafarers skill that he learned from his father. This aspect of the work suggests a gymnasium but, just around the corner, a photograph of the back of a nude youth is projected on the wall, over which are cast the shadow of the wooden rings.

The wall itself is old and the paint of varying colour, as are most of the walls in this gallery. This is a conscious acknowledgement by the Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation's administration of the history of the building as a school and these walls display layers of paint from that era, which Mr. West effectively exploits to create the effect of an antique fresco.

The nude youth is also an acknowledgement of the root meaning of the word, gymnasium, that of exercising in the nude, hence the title of this work. This installation sets the theme of the show, beauty, but also perfection and meticulousness.

Nearby is another installation that also gives reference to gymnasia. More than anything else, these objects resemble traditional uneven bars used in gymnastics, but they are arranged so as to cross each other, thus negating their expected use. This is an example of a kind of twisted humour; another common element pervading the show.

An additional example of this kind of humour is a simple walnut ellipse hanging on a white wall that was made to provide a setting for the actual walnut object. The object, itself, is highly finished and labelled 'Walnut Mirror', but although the shape is reminiscent of Victorian hall mirrors, there is no mirror in evidence anywhere.

There are two floor exhibits in the show. That is, the sculptural objects sit directly on the floor without any mediating pedestal or plinth, as is traditional with sculpture.

Typically, the plinth is to sculpture what frames are to paintings, but in the modern period, it is a common practice for artists to dispense with both frames and plinths. As for sculpture, probably the first artist to place it directly on the floor or ground, was the Dadaist, Hans Arp. One of West's floor exhibits, resembles a boat stern and indeed, it is entitled, 'Walnut Stern'.

In boatbuilding, the stern is often one of the more showy parts of the vessel. It is there that the name is placed and the wood used is often selected for it beauty. Of course, here in Bermuda it is usually made of Bermuda Cedar.

The other floor piece is a simple looking but technically complex wooden triangle with a large light bulb showing through the empty space within the shape. The object is made by laminating many thin layers of wood, enabling the artist to bend the wood to his desired shape. It is called, 'Equilateral II', the triangle being equilateral. It is made of white oak.

I wondered about the artist's intention and hoped that it did not refer to the notorious Bermuda triangle. That would be too obvious. Having asked the artist about it, he said that he made it primarily as a learning experience, especially the technical aspect of bending and laminating wood. Indeed, works of art do not always have to have a particular meaning and in some cases, need only be.

In contrast to the floor pieces, there are two other sculptural objects in the show that are placed on plinths. As was the practice of the modernist sculptor Brancusi, the plinth served more than providing a way of setting the object apart. It became an integral part of the work.

In West's case, he has carefully reproduced bronze boat cleats, but instead of being in bronze, they are made of porcelain, a material noted for its fragility. The "cleats " are unglazed and thus are white and matte in finish. This contrasts beautifully with the purple heart wood plinths.

This is a thoughtful exhibition that has been produced with considerable care. I recommend seeing it, but be prepared for a challenge. It is not a show to rush through It will require much reflection. The exhibition continues through September 1, 2008.