Andrew Bick reviews the work of John Carter, on view in two concurrent exhibitions: John Carter: Surface and Structure at Redfern Gallery, London (through November 15) and Between Dimensions, Tennant Gallery, Royal Academy (through February 16, 2014).

Bick writes that "the components of painting and sculpture are held in tension within what [Carter] makes." Bick concludes that "by choosing to be ambiguous about its status as painting, or sculpture, or construction, Carter’s oeuvre sits within the shifting positions of current abstraction in ways that have very contemporary implications. By this I mean that the subtle adjustments of space Carter deploys, never moving outside the known and knowable, but demonstrating great sensitivity in making such concrete elements hover in and out of optical certainty, provide a model for understanding how we look at the world that is acute and insightful."