The junction of Edgware and Harrow Road, under the roar of the Marylebone flyover, isn't particularly pedestrian-friendly, and neither is the warren of seedy subways which run beneath it. This Christmas however, the Subway Gallery, an exhibition space located in one of these underground subways, is hosting a festive exhibition to brighten up the commute home, featuring the work of London-based artist Alessandra Travagliati. Called Cat Holic, traditional ideas of Christmas are firmly rejected and cats alone are being worshipped.

Why cats? There are already thousands of websites featuring photos of cats-doing-funny-things (LOLCats,Cats in Sinks etc.) and at Christmas presents abound for the cat lover - shops are selling everything from Doris Lessing on cats to collections of celebrity cat anecdotes and cute cat calendars. So you might reasonably expect a contemporary art exhibition on the species to do something different. Perhaps a subversion, or at least an ironic comment on this fad for all things feline.

Talking to Travagliati about Cat Holic it does seem there might be more to her interest in cats than cashing in on a pretty mindless trend. Last year she hosted another exhibition, Cat Walk, also at the Subway, with a series of cat portraits dedicated to famous writers inspired by cats, including Edgar Allen Poe and Baudelaire. These cat portraits, and those now exhibited at Cat Holic, do differ from the typical cute cat photo. Conceived almost like human portraits, they're inspired by Travagliati's interest in the affinity between humans and cats - in how we respond to them, interpret their behaviour and often project human feelings onto them.  

This in itself could provide material for a thought-provoking exhibition, given that most of the humour behind the LOLcat brand of photos comes from playing around with this affinity, and consciously projecting human behaviour and language onto animals. However, this idea isn't properly or coherently explored in Cat Holic, and the exhibition is instead mostly made up of kitsch cat baubles, bags and badges, decorative fur-balls (at £100 each) and a CatXmas tree, alongside cat-themed installations in the kiosk window. The exhibition testifies to Travagliati's previous stints in advertising, fashion and design. There's clearly a commercial slant and popular appeal to her work, and the price listings also invite visitors to enquire about 'your cat photo shoot'. If you're more into art than cats though, there isn't much of particular interest: there may well be good ideas behind it all, but they could do with clearer signposting.

It could be argued of course that this commercial angle fits in with the location, and to some extent ethos, of the Subway Gallery. Set up in 2006 by Canadian artist Robert Gordon McHarg (Travagliati's partner, interestingly enough), the idea behind the gallery was to transform a bleak and depressing subway into a dynamic and stimulating hub for underground art by turning one of the subway's kiosks, previously a shoe repair shop, into an exhibition space. As well as enabling more up-and-coming local artists to show their work, it serves the equally important function of improving the atmosphere of the subway, and bringing art to those who use it, and who might not normally go out of their way to visit an art gallery. This in itself if a great idea, and Cat Holic does, with Travagliati's hand-made lights illuminating the exhibition, definitely brighten up the subway for passersby. But if you don't happen to be passing by, and aren't a serious cat lover, it probably isn't worth the detour.