A group exhibition including: Justin Amhrein, Dawn Clements, Brian Conley, Hugo Crosthwaite, Brian Dewan, James Esber, Jen Hitchings, Sermin Kardestuncer, David Kramer, Mark Lombardi, Ati Maier, John O’Connor, Jenny Polak, David Scher, Dread Scott, Ward Shelley, Christophe Thompson, and Tricia Townes. Also included will be a selection of works from Pierogi’s Flat Files.
19 January—16 February, 2020
Opening Reception: Sunday, 19 January. 6-8pm
![Mark Lombardi - "World Finance Corporation and Associates, ca. 1970-84: Miami, Ajman, and Bogota-Caracas (Brigata 2506: Cuban Anti-Castro Bay of Pigs Veteran) 7th Version," 1999, 69 1/8 x 84 inches, Color pencil and graphite on paper
“I call [these works] ‘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.” (Mark Lombardi, artist statement)
“The global conglomerate World Finance Corporation… intrigued Lombardi more than any other bank scandal except BCCI. It became a cornerstone for his work undoubtedly because of the central role that WFC reputedly played in the trafficking of Columbian drugs and the subsequent laundering of the profits derived from those activities. An important subtext of this work and other Lombardi pieces such as Frank Nugan, Michael Hand, and Nugan Hand Ltd. of Sydney, Australia…and BCCI-ICIC & FAB…is the wide-ranging collusion involved in global crimes.” (Robert Hobbs, *Mark Lombardi: Global Networks*)](https://i0.wp.com/www.pierogi2000.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/LombardiWorldFinance6.jpg?fit=160%2C118&ssl=1)
Press Release
“First, Second, and Third Person” is an exhibition exploring expressions of narrative and points of view. A narrative is typically understood to mean a spoken or written account of connected events, a story. The works in this exhibition expand upon that idea to include visual narratives that are presented in forms ranging from: implied, fragmentary, and cryptic contexts; personal and subjective ones; and literal and expository contexts. The pronouns “I,” “me,” “we,” and “they” refer to the first person, subjective point of view. “You” refers to the second person, addressing the audience or viewer. “He,” “she,” “it,” or “they” refer to the third person, though not necessarily only from an objective point of view.
Artists such as Mark Lombardi and Ward Shelley develop work in a third person, expository and descriptive way. Their work is driven within a structure, and so they sometimes read from start to finish with characters, plots, settings, conflicts, and resolutions where the primary function is to visually describe a particular time and series of events. Lombardi referred to his works as “narrative structures.”
Dread Scott and Jenny Polak’s collaborative project “Passes” “draws on research begun during a residency at the Camargo Foundation near Marseille. The project explores connections between the forced migrations of the French Slave Trade and present-day migrations from Africa to Europe and the Americas.”
Tricia Townes’ and Christophe Thompson’s works address personal, immediate family and historical family narratives.
Dawn Clements’ “The Name of the Rose (Self Portrait, MacDowell)” is a sensitive self-portrait that Clements made while listening to an audio recording of Umberto Eco’s book of the same name. Dialogue from the story infiltrates her drawing, the words literally drawn into the work, forming a frame around her figure.
Hugo Crosthwaite’s invented, surreal and fragmented compositions suggest cryptic narratives that are nonetheless rooted in observations of real life in the border town of Tijuana, Mexico where he was raised and where he currently lives. Ati Maier also creates invented worlds and journeys though hers are more personal, fantastical, and spiritual.
Also included will be a selection of works from Pierogi’s Flat Files, including work by: Matthew Blackwell, Vian Rolf Buiter, Clare Churchouse, Orly Cogan, Daniel Davidson, Edward del Rosario, Deanna Dikeman, Don Doe, Elise Engler, John Giglio, Jonathan Herder, Mark Hohlstein, Michelle Kaufman, Leslie Kerby, Nicholas Knight, Ati Maier, Sascha Mallon, Deborah Maris Lader, Matt Marello, William McKearn, Nat Meade, Katie Merz, Sam Messer and Sharon Olds, Garry Nichols, Nicky Nodjoumi, Suzy O’Mullane, Svetlana Rabey, Mark Reynolds, Kathryn Refi, Leslie Roberts, Christof Rosér, Karin Sander, Kenneth Shorr, Anne Sherwood Pundyk, Alice Schivardi, Oriane Stender, Tricia Townes, Martin Wilner, Roxanne Wolancyk, Charles Yuen, and Thomas Zummer.