THE only sure things in life are death and taxes, and the former is graphically featured in a new exhibition - After Life - at the Bowes Museum.

Put together by the first Bowes Fellowship recipient, Simon Morrissey, it has many thought-provoking items and images, put together in such a way as to explore the various interpretations of the term that gives the exhibition its title. The Fellowship was awarded to Mr Morrissey in 2002 following 250 applications nationally for the post.

The work of modern contemporary artists is displayed alongside that from the museum's collections, with the two marrying well to create a display some could find an unsettling experience. At the entrance is a disclaimer advising visitors that some works are of a graphic nature, such as those of photo-journalist Enrique Metinides, a recorder of fatal traffic accidents. Certainly it is one of the most unusual exhibitions ever staged by the Bowes.

While studying one of Metinides' pictures - a beautiful blonde hit by a car - I got in conversation with a former inmate of Deerbolt Young Offenders' Institution in Barnard Castle. Michael Cessford, now a psychologist, told how as a 17-year-old he could see the museum from his prison cell and how it gave him hope for the future.

More drawn to the woman's beautifully manicured fingernails and gold bracelet than her blank, dead eyes, I speculated on whether I would like to go while looking my best. He quickly summed me up as a victim of "clean knickers syndrome", meaning I was still heeding childhood warnings to put on clean underwear in case I was hit by a bus. So in this instance the exhibition achieved its aim of being thought provoking. Very interesting!

Another disturbing exhibit, which we immediately christened "death warmed up," is a stuffed, motorised hare. It is laid on the floor, surrounded by white lining such as is drawn around murder victims. But its motorised interior makes it look as if it is still breathing.

These modern images sit well with such paintings as James Northcote's Vulture and Snake, in which there is a battle for survival; the vulture driving its talons into the snake, which responds with its poisonous tongue. Which was the winner? Judge for yourself. The exhibition runs until March 21.

Anyone wishing further information can contact the Bowes, which opens daily from 11-5, on 01833 690606.