ARTWORK from some of the finest emerging talent in Greater Manchester is set to be displayed in a new Bolton gallery.

For four years, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce has been on the lookout for pieces which can bridge the gap between the art and business worlds.

And this year’s £,1500 prize, won by Stockport-based James Roper, entitled Sonitus Luminis (Metanoia VI), will be showcased in a three-week Platform residency at the town’s railway station, in association with the University of Bolton’s School of the Arts.

James’ ambitious semi-abstract oil-on-canvas is supposed to encourage the viewer into a visual state of limbo, according to the artist.

His effort will remain on show at Bolton Museum and Art Gallery until July 7.

And he will be joined in the gallery by works produced by the three runners-ups, Rogue Artists’ Studio’s Steve Oliver, Manchester-based Iain Andrews and Julie Cassels, of Suite Studios, in Salford.

Steve’s stark An Arundel Tomb contrasts with Iain’s intricate Il Teatro de Leivatano, while Julie’s Patient Sitter - Cullercoats, is a video work.