TAMED and TACO at Torre Abbey

Mike Nelson's Taylor during a previous outing, installed in a disused M&S in Margate. Now showing at Torre Abbey until the 20th August.

This peculiar show at Torre Abbey combines pieces from the Tate and the Arts Council Collection with 3-D work from South West artists who entered the annual Torre Abbey Contemporary Open (TACO) under the theme of "Tamed".

Last year the abbey's Spanish Barn proved to be an intimate setting for Antony Gormley's Field for the British Isles. Lifting away the associations of mass human migration that the work sometimes carries, the barn imbued it with the air of a friendly family gathering or sunny weekend at Glastonbury. Rather appropriate for an exhibition in an old-fashioned British seaside town.

By contrast this year, Hirst's Mother and Child Divided sits in the barn like some kind of tacky sideshow attraction. Roll-up roll-up and you can also see Mariele Neudecker's Stolen Sunsets, Paul Coldwell's Bouquet and Mike Nelson's Taylor. And - ouch - Richard Long's Fourteen Stones squeezed into an alcove on top of a strident pattern of red and black floor tiles.

Back in Torre Abbey's main gallery, the work from local artists ranges from Volkhardt Mueller's bleak print installation Cell ... to the frankly twee. Lots of labels tell me how it all relates to the curatorial vision and its theme of tamed. But really, it's a bit confusing.

I'm sure the curator of Torre Abbey knows her demographic well, but personally I feel a little patronised. "Controversial Hirst piece"? Really? This is art from the last century we're talking about.

What's more, sticking Hirst's work alongside other random pieces doesn't help to focus minds on what he and the other artists might seriously be trying to say. It just seems to encourage thoughtless comments from visitors about the trickery of "so-called modern art" and its perceived desire to do little more than shock and offend.

Which is a pity, because Mike Nelson's Taylor deserves much more careful contemplation. This makeshift raft, marooned in the middle of an ancient Torquay barn, seems rich with resonances about human endeavour and desire for adventure, along with corresponding ideas of frailty - even hubris. Carrying a small pile of goods and only a flimsy tent for shelter, it seems destined for wild seas and possible disaster.

TAMED 6th July - 20th August, Spanish Barn, Torre Abbey, Torquay TQ2 5JE. Daily 10-5. Free.

TACO (3D) 10th July - 30th August, Top Floor Gallery and Gardens, Torre Abbey, Torquay TQ2 5JE. Daily 10-5. Adult admission £5.75.

www.torre-abbey.org.uk