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This special commission in St. Carthage Hall sees nine reclaimed cast-iron bathtubs in varying states of decay precisely arranged like open coffins lying in repose, to which the visitor pays their last respects. Bearing this in mind, as light floods in upon these vessels through the stained glass windows of a space which was once a place of worship, the atmosphere is still, haunting and transcendental. Beneath these windows, the eye of a shark is housed within a gilded box which is sunk into the building’s walls like a surveilling, all-seeing eye. Although it’s out of view to the visitor, its presence is felt. Presumably, the intended effect is to some degree akin to a God-fearing Catholic entering their church. In both cases, there is intrigue and unease located in the mysterious and unknown.

Along the scum line of each bath, where dirt normally accumulates, the artist has applied a layer of gold. This is typical of Cross, whose work is often concerned with the idea of transformation and the effect of the passage of time.  It is a motif evidenced in her parallel exhibition View at Kerlin Gallery, which was recently discussed in this magazine. In this instance, grime is made gilt and the plain becomes precious. Located as it is within a formerly consecrated space, questions are inadvertently raised about the veneration of art as well as its spiritual faculties and capabilities. The line also references the surface of the water, beneath which sharks live. This helps to neatly tie together both the idea and expression of the creature throughout the show.

Though concise as an exhibition, Eye of Shark is rich with meaning and bubbling with ideas. It provokes thought in the visitor long after they have left. And in simpler, sensory terms it is a mesmerising sight as whole. It also demonstrates the transformative power of space on an artwork and the important role that place plays in facilitating heightened transmission of an underlying message. This is very much a site specific exhibition and to house it elsewhere, somewhere nondescript and without St. Carthage Hall’s historic religious function, would be to damage it fatally. In View at Kerlin, Cross transformed the space by revealing a usually hidden window. Here, it is the space which holds much of the transformative power.

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Eye of Shark runs until October 19 at Lismore Castle Arts, County Waterford.