In Battersea Park, where humans once hunted mammoths on frozen boglands, Pump House Gallery is filled with primitive artefacts and primeval geology. But in fact, everything has been newly made by artists.
Many art works in The First Humans are tongue-in-cheek; others refer to sci-fi.
A boulder by Jack Strange contains videos of an ape, a caveman and an alien. Vidya Gastaldon‘s drawings suggest dawnings, spawnings and New Age events. Ben Rivers‘ film, ‘The Creation As We Saw It’, recounts the myths of a village where straw huts exist alongside mobile phones. Caroline Achaintre‘s ‘Zibra’, a wool hanging, has markings that hint at our African origins and also recalls today’s craft hobbyists. A silvery rock-form by Salvatore Arancio resembles something worshipped by stone-age people. Andy Harper‘s installation ‘The Threefold Law’ is ferociously patterned: hovering over everything like a tribal god.
The First Humans encourages visitors to consider why these six artists (and many others) are currently drawn to prehistory.
Where: Pump House Gallery – Battersea Park – London SW11 4NJ
When: 22 January – 29 March
