Nathaniel Mellors' Neanderthal Man Takes Over Monitor Gallery in Rome

Monitor Gallery in Rome is hosting a solo exhibition by British artist Nathaniel Mellors (born 1974 in Doncaster), featuring his shaggy Neanderthal character previously seen at the Venice Biennale. The show includes a full-room video projection of the prehistoric figure parachuting from an airplane and crashing to the ground, as well as haranguing an unseen audience in a cave illuminated with psychedelic lights and effects. The work oscillates between vast open spaces and claustrophobic interiors. In another room, the same character appears as a sculpture frozen at the moment of impact. A bust of Shakespeare with two plastic straws protruding from its nostrils like insect antennae offers a witty digression, echoing the Neanderthal's two noses. A second video, in which the Neanderthal is interviewed in a reality-TV format, is less compelling. Special mention is made of the costumes.