Art, not rubbish

Few artists use rubbish - a common enough material in contemporary art - as effectively or with as much flair as Phyllida Barlow. The setting of her latest exhibition is the glasshouse environs of Bloomberg Space and the foyer of the financial news powerhouse has probably never looked better.

Two wooden planks leaning against wooden supports, like giant easels, greet you as soon as you step through the automatic glass doors of Bloomberg's foyer. They have two perfect, diagonally aligned circles sawn out of them, like one of Ben Nicholson's modernist wall reliefs, except this piece has a thick coating of fleshy pink paint.

Behind this is what can only be described as a forest of tall plywood rods, all intricately bound together with different coloured tape, so that the rods form interesting angles.

From these hang exploding strips of coloured foam, fashioned like clusters of exotic fruit. Blocks of polystyrene, painted in reds and blacks, are lodged in between them. It's a surprisingly elegant confection.

Elsewhere, a huge wooden platform leans against struts. It's painted fire-engine red, offsetting the neutral shades of its blue chip surroundings.

A bulbous object is covered by one of Barlow's trademark tarpaulin sheets, there's a rough and ready shelving unit and, lastly, a tower of pallets, each given a sloppy lick of paint.

Monumental and commanding in a space which is not always easy to fill, there is always a winning playfulness to Barlow's lo-fi installations.

Until Mar 5, Bloomberg Space, 50 Finsbury Square EC2, Tue to Sat 11am to 6pm, free. Tel: 020 7330 7959. Tube: Moorgate