The keynote of this exhibition is fluidity. Penny Hardy studied art and is now a self- taught sculptor, having followed courses in welding, hot metals and ceramics; her figures display expertise together with a refreshing vitality, directness and love of life.

Pared down to the essence of the human form Barcelona Tango’s female entices her partner as they move sinuously together. Originally intended for an architectural project that was to be 8ft tall, this maquette belies the common distinction made between public and private art. Cast in solid bronze and firmly screwed into a handsome, solid oak plinth, it retains a lightness and dynamism that looks well beneath the dappled light of the trees in Summertown’s Turrill Garden.

Hardy’s pair of ballet dancers, entitled I Like It Like That, are made of aluminium and epoxy resin; painted with bronze acrylic paint they catch the light. Despite being fixed on to a stainless steel rod and hammered firmly into the ground they nonetheless sway in the slightest breeze. Like Degas, she based these sculptured figures on sketches from life, in her case Ballet Rambert and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, especially his modern Swan Lake.

Modelled on her own body Resilience stands tall and upright within a wall that appears solid yet is being blown away. Hardy sees this idea as of life; it makes one think of Kipling’s “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs”. The elegant figure, made of screws, nuts, bolts, spanners and keys, manifests resilience, firmness of purpose and yes, beauty. Having been created out of rusty throwaway bits of gear boxes it is, nonetheless, indestructible.

The exhibition of Modern British Sculpture, recently held at the Royal Academy, demonstrated the current interest in sculpture. Hardy’s work is very much a part of this movement; her figurative forms, many of which are made of unconventional materials, are lively, interactive and thoughtful.

Until September 10. Mon & Fri 9.30am-3.30pm, Tues & Thurs 9.30am-7pm, Sat 9am-14.30pm.