MAO

For those of you living close to Oxford and who have an open mind about installation art (hands up..., just you then? OK) I must recommend Modern Art Oxford's current exhibition. It's 'The House of Books has no Windows' by Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller. There are four separate parts to the show but the best (to me) was 'Opera for a Small Room'. It takes twenty minutes to unfold and is hypnotic, striking and surprising. In the minutes after it finished I found I was still under its spell, with ideas and emotions churning around.

It's a shame to hear so many people dismiss 'Modern Art' as something pretentious, alien or pointless. The MAO gallery is an open, free space with a positive spirit to it and I always get a kick out of visiting. This current show is only there until 18th January though so if you are interested, get moving.