Brighton Fringe Festival Exhibition

The former Argus Building in North Road is once again playing host to the Fringe Festival exhibition. The work of almost 250 artists is on show in a wonderful space which provides a backdrop for some of Brighton's most creative talents.

The rooms vary in size from large open spaces to small nooks and crannies - and the work is likewise as eclectic and varied. There is comic book art, collage, large paintings, small prints and everything in between. Only sculpture seems to be neglected, with one or two installations dotted about but little of any substance.

The work is naturally of variable interest - the organisers have imposed no criteria for being given a space and this serves to create a very ragged feel to the whole experience. Sure it's exciting to turn each corner not knowing what you'll find, but it can also be frustrating to have to search so hard for anything worth looking at.

But I'm a big fan of large scale public events and this is a wonderful example of a community-led initiative which challenges conventional channels for promoting and selling art. The quality may be patchy but the energy and enthusiasm the exhibition unlocks is infectious and can only be good for the art scene in Brighton and Hove.

Mark Walker