The Metro blue line to Altrincham will be unfamiliar to many.

In nearly a decade of scribbling about art I've never had a calling to ride it - which in some small way suggests there hasn't been a decent, regularly active art gallery in Trafford borough.

But very late last year, Waterside Arts Centre quietly opened in Sale.

Tanya Bond, one of Waterside's two Visual Arts Officers (alongside Claire Driver) explains:

'There is no arts venue across Trafford and there hasn't been since the 1980s'

We aim to attract international artists.

We're trying to establish ourselves as a primary venue

within Greater Manchester.'

In what ways?

'Well we're here alongside a theatre so that's quite interesting itself.

'There are comparisons with the Lowry but obviously we are in a different part of Greater Manchester, and in a different location we have a different audience.

And the theatre's smaller and the gallery is smaller.'

That's an interesting emphasis for Bond to have made.

It acknowledges the fact that Waterside is a 'smaller' venue in caparison to some in this age of 'big' buildings like Bilbao's Guggenheim or, yes, even our local Lowry.

Of course being smaller, as in any industry, can mean a warmer, healthier 'family' atmosphere and attitude.

And that could be Waterside's biggest strength.

The current show - from Chila Burman looks good. Material Serendipity is a survey of Burman's art from the 1980s to the present.

Wrestling with her Indian heritage plus contemporary British experience, Burman's prints purposefully mesh various meanings via collage.

Indian

Throughout the vibrant pieces, traditional Indian miniatures mix with kitschy cartoons; drawings with family photos; bhindis with breasts.

Yes, breasts.

A key motif for Burman are her own breasts. It's something resonant with the tacky, taboo sense of 'Page Three' or lads' mags - but also India's culture where, for millennia, breasts have been revered symbols of abundance and fertility.

If Burman's a benchmark, then 2005 looks solid for the residents of Sale and beyond.

Chila Burman: Material Serendipity, to 19 February @ Lauriston Gallery, Waterside Arts Centre

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