Mark Lombardi
Preparatory
Drawings
18 april - 19 may, 2003
opening, friday, 18 april, 7-9pm
catalogue available
james guerin,
isc and ferranti intl plc c.1977-91
"dealers in military pyrotechnics" #1 (detail),
2000
graphite on paper
8.5 x 11 inches
press release
In 1994 Lombardi began a series of drawings that he called "narrative structures." He referred to them in this way "because each consists of a network of lines and notations which are meant to convey a story, typically about a recent event of interest to me, like the collapse of a large international bank, trading company, or investment house. One of my goals is to explore the interaction of political, social and economic forces in contemporary affairs." The subjects of these works include BCCI, Lincoln Savings, World Finance of Miami, the Vatican Bank, Silverado Savings, George W. Bush and Harken Energy, among others. Early in the development of this body of work, and in preparation for his larger drawings, Lombardi made small, rough sketches in which he developed the formal representation of relationships. Some of the earliest, dating from 1994, are in ballpoint pen, many others are simply graphite on paper.
This exhibition will feature these rarely seen drawings as a preview to a traveling retrospective of twenty-five Lombardi works, "Global Networks," organized by Independent Curators International, New York and curated by Robert Hobbs. Please see bottom for all dates and locations of the retrospective exhibition.
first united
verso:
cb fin, 1994
blue balllpoint pen and black ink on paper
11 x 14 inches
lincoln
verso:
silverado, 1994
ballpoint pen on paper
11 x 14 inches
astra-bmarc-unwin
london c.1983-90
"dealers in military pyrotechnics,"
2000
graphite on paper
8.5 x 11 inches
arochem, bayoil
and bay industries: stamford, london, baghdad c.1988-91
2000
graphite on paper
8.5 x 11 inches
The Recent Drawings:
An Overview
(Artist Statement)
In 1994 I began a series of drawings I refer to as "narrative structures." Most were executed in graphite or pen and ink on paper. Some are quite large, measuring up to 5 x 12 feet.
I call them "narrative structures" because each consists of a network of lines and notations which are meant to convey a story, typically about a recent event of interest to me, like the collapse of a large international bank, trading company, or investment house. One of my goals is to explore the interaction of political, social and economic forces in contemporary affairs. Thus far I have exhibited drawings on BCCI, Lincoln Savings, World Finance of Miami, the Vatican Bank, Silverado Savings, Castle Bank and Trust of the Bahamas, Nugan Hand Limited of Sydney, Australia, and many more.
Working from syndicated news items and other published accounts, I begin each drawing by compiling large amounts of information about a specific bank, financial group or set of individuals. After a careful review of the literature I then condense the essential points into an assortment of notations and other brief statements of fact, out of which an image begins to emerge.
My purpose throughout is to interpret the material by juxtaposing and assembling the notations into a unified, coherent whole. In some cases I use a set of stacked, parallel lines to establish a time frame. Hierarchical relationships, the flow of money and other key details are then indicated by a system of radiating arrows, broken lines and so forth. Some of the drawings consist of two different layers of information—one denoted in black, the other, red. Black represents the essential elements of the story while the major lawsuits, criminal indictments or other legal actions taken against the parties are shown in red. Every statement of fact and connection depicted in the work is true and based on information culled entirely from the public record.
—Mark Lombardi, c.1997/8
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P I E R O G I 2 0 0 0
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