In this new film from directors Naomi Itkes and Annika Aschberg, American actor and stunt performer Terry Notary, known for his larger-than-life portrayal of creatures and animals for TV and film, enters a gallery of contemporary art while embodying the persona of a great ape. The chameleon-like actor reprises his role as Oleg, the performance artist at the centre of Oscar-nominated film The Square, from Swedish director Ruben Östlund, which skewers the art world’s deceptions and pretensions. 

The hair-raising performance, shot on location at the CF HILL art space in Stockholm, Sweden, addresses the concept of self-consciousness, and what happens when a viewer sees a work of art. The filmmaking duo behind the project explain: “Terry serves as a kind of symbol for the mental process of encountering art, moving through an unfamiliar environment in his own way."

Notary, an experienced actor and stunt performer, speaks of how he accessed his wild character: "Oleg has been chased away from civilization. Now he's captured in this gallery space, and tries to reach self-perception through art. The performance was a chance to be open and vulnerable, because i'm a shy and introverted person. It was cathartic to become Oleg and to react to the works. It taught me something."