A new gallery opened by the Royal Academy of Arts is expected to place Hornsey firmly on the arts map. Alex Kasriel takes a look at its latest exhibition, which examines everyday items and experiences.

A decapitated mannequin in a flourescent yellow flamenco dress; abnormally large conkers hanging from strings in a wooden cabinet; kitsch painted portraits of people in the guise of angles - these sound like the sort of pieces that might be found at Charles Saatchi's Waterloo gallery.

But the works are part of a new exhibition on display in Hornsey, featuring 14 young British artists.

The Pumphouse Gallery, which belongs to the Royal Academy of Arts, is part of the award-winning New River Village development off Turnpike Lane, set within the grounds of a restored Victorian pumphouse, which also includes a restaurant.

The gallery's second exhibition, running until September 4, is called Encounters with the Subordinary.

Mat Humphery, exhibition curator and creator of kitsch portraits Charlie and Lisa, said: "The exhibition is elevating the everyday and the ordinary, even the less than ordinary, giving it a certain kudos."

The 32-year-old Dalston artist also created the conker cabinet, and a fireplace covered in tea cups and plates.

"I was thinking about conkers and Englishness," he said. "When you play conkers, bigger is better and harder is better. But I made them out of eggs. So although they look like the largest conkers you'll ever find, they are the most useless you'll ever find. I picked the subject because it is nerdy and introverted. It was something that wasn't shown very often."

Talking about fellow exhibitor Chirs Kettle and his paintings of delicately coloured aubergines, he added: "He's been painting aubergines for about ten years. The more he indulges in these forms, the more extraordinary they become. He's taking a vegetable and giving it a sense of personality. Something about the obsession itself can be quite unsettling."

Fellow curator Peter Rourke, who at 40 is the oldest exhibitor, paints sketchy and underwhelming interiors from unexpected angles and in a limited colour palette.

The youngster of the show is David Small, 24, who is in his final year at the academy.

"It's a very nice position to be in," he said. "You don't get that many oppotunities to show in an exhibition. It's quite nice to get a perspective on your work."

His paintings are of geometric shapes with an industrial feel. Again, he uses limited oil colours on hardboard. He carefully bruches it down with PVA glue and then sands and varnishes it.

"It's a very cheap technique which is quite effective," he said. "I'm influenced by architecture, design and painting."

Small, who lives in Tollington Park, Finsbury Park, used to be in a grunge band. "I thought that was what i was going to do forever," he explained. "Then I did a foundation course because I didn't want to go to university. I discovered painting and found it very natural."

Gallery, in New River Avenue, Hornsey, is open from Thursdays to Sundays, from 12pm to 5pm. For more information call 07803 041607. Admission is free.