To cut a long story short, Tebbs graduated from art school about a decade ago, winning prizes. Poised on the cusp of success, he gave it all up. Now he's back. It's a godsend tale for hype merchants: 'the comeback'. So what's he returned with?

The short answer is painting and sculpture - but that's too reductive. 'Untitled' and 'Occupant' are exemplary: displaying a kindred style to that of Michael Craig-Martin.

In the frames are a cornucopia of bric-a-brac depicted via a garish idiom derived from cartoons and advertising. That's not to say these are hoodwinked wholesale from previous pop artists. For instead of the easily recognisable, Tebbs depicts obscure curiosities or cult paraphernalia from the margins of popular culture - e.g. Zombie film imagery.

Kitsch

So if their vividness is derived from 'Pop Art' their intelligibility is clouded by Tebbs' choice of content. Supporting this subversion of kitsch is a sculpture (pile) of throwaway detritus and cult paraphernalia.

Somewhere between contemporary art and car-boot art then, this work exists at a point where kitsch and avant-garde are interchangeable terms. And that, despite the sanitising attempts of art snobs, makes this show resonant with the ways of today's (art) world. So if Tebbs has been out of art for a decade then he's not been out of touch.

The use of mundane artefacts and mass-produced items of kitsch is often a kind of hackneyed endgame for contemporary artists. It can hide a lack of artistic vim and/or mental vigour.

But Tebbs offers a decent variation on what's been done before - distinguishing himself from the slavish imitators.

Dave Tebbs: Adios Amoebas is at Bankley Gallery, Levenshulme, Manchester until Sunday, March 23.

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