In 2001, a few weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Whitney Museum of American Art, which was holding its Biennial exhibition of contemporary and cutting edge art, got a phone call from an unlikely source. An FBI agent was interested in a drawing in the exhibition by the late conceptual artist Mark Lombardi, who had committed suicide the year before. The agent asked to see the drawing, and to obtain a copy of it for the investigation into the attacks. The work, an intricate pencil drawing on a huge sheet of paper that looked more like a constellation map of the universe than a flow chart, explored the links between global banking and international terrorism, and included specific reference to the Bank of Commerce and Credit International (BCCI), a global bank whose former director was Osama Bin Laden’s brother-in-law.
Lombardi’s many other drawings also mapped the economic underpinnings of our global society. and show the intricate web of connections that lie beneath political and financial scandals. The works are visual narratives of the way money flows in the global economy: from corporations to political organizations, from individuals to various ad hoc groups, most of them acting outside of national boundaries—and often outside the law. The drawings are all based on information gathered from newspaper, television, and other sources in the public domain, and organized by Lombardi into a handwritten database of over 14,000 index cards.
(Click on any image in the post to enlarge in a new window)
The following is from the artist’s own statement about his work:
“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
After listening to the 5 minute NPR podcast linked below, and viewing and thinking about the work, you may address any of the following questions in a brief 100 or so word blog post response. To you, how does this work operate metaphorically? How does what it looks like or its composition suggest to you about political “truth” or how we receive information? Does the work stand alone as artwork, and why or why not?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1487185
Sound Stage, and Surface 
This work acts metaphorically in showing us that there is a web of ideas and facts that we are exposed to. Now to us civilians with a naked eye, this web is just a bunch of bubbles of information. We don’t see the variety of ways that different individuals are connected or in what way it impacts our lives. This artist helps us see what we are missing with the information that is given as well as hidden from us. Art is something that conveys a message using an image created by an individual and that is what his piece is. That being said I don’t believe that it stands alone as a piece of art, but that it gives more than just something to be hung in a gallery. The fact that homeland security and the government find it so interesting and worth studying gives the piece characteristics of more than just an art object. It almost branches itself into a semblance of literature which is in itself a work of art as well.
LikeLike
Lombardi’s work stands out alone as artwork. it is a creative technique to express what interest him, the banks and international terrorism. I believe the lines and curves in the artwork make it art in itself because it has a story behind it, and I believe anything with creativity that has a story behind it is a work of art. Also like the NPR podcast stated the work is beautiful. The artwork attracts people to look at it and want to understand why he did it. It was his way of telling his own interest without words. Lombardi’s “constellations” are a work of art because he created them, and creativity is a work of art in itself.
LikeLike
I believe that, while Lombardi’s work can be perceived as art, its value is in its content rather than its aesthetic properties. While the comparison of the pieces to “constellations” may be accurate, they are not very pleasing to the eye like other works. I do understand that not all works of art have to be pleasing to the eye, but Lombardi’s works are nothing special to work at. In my opinion, this series of pieces is so great because of the detail Lombardi takes in analyzing all of the connections to these organizations and the sources of their falls. They may be a visual representation of this, but there is little that separates these works from common graphs or tables.
LikeLike
Ben, I’m not sure I agree with you that little separates theses works from common graphs or diagrams. Here’s why. I think that in the end, a graph should serve to help us make sense of something, and in the end, I feel like Lombardi’s drawings end up being about the search for truth, but don’t leave us any closer to knowing anything. What happens in his drawings in an abstract or formal way, for me anyway, is that they become a cross between a diagram and a labyrinth that I am unable to find my way out of. Because there are so many connections, I just keep spinning around; there is no central “bad guy”, and so I am left with just this web of relationships and no way to assign responsibility, assess guilt, etc. Everyone is culpable, so no one is culpable. The compositions have no center, they branch out and grow in all directions, we don’t know where they begin or end. In the end, they are confounding, and they bring out a kind of despair for me because of their all-encompassing nature.
LikeLike
If Mark Lombardi’s drawings were to constitute as artwork then maps of the United States, of the world or any map should also be labeled as artwork.
In map form, I do believe Lombardi’s drawings are to be classified highly on levels of creativity and intricacy. He does copious amounts of research on the direct relationships between global banking and international terrorism by reading all forms of related text he had access to; public records. His flowcharts demonstrate the “confusing” relationship among the links between global banking and international terrorism. Proving how much we know about the economic flow of money on a global scale, however also, how little we know given the magnitude and complexity of these international relationships.
In terms of how we receive information, I would say that as citizens of this country we receive all forms of information in an extremely poor manner, unless we are searching for answers ourselves. The news and media report their shares of the story, newspapers have freedom of press and choose to present information and current news in ways they feel applicable; because of this, political “truth” in my opinion, does not exist.
LikeLike
Yes, I think ultimately that Lombardi’s work in “following the money” was a search for truth, and he thought he would find it in facts. That if the facts were laid out for everyone to see, that would constitute some form of “truth”. I don’t think it turned out that way. I have no idea why he took his life, but I am willing to bet that someone who immersed himself in that information and tried so hard to make sense of it as he did, but then in the end wasn’t able to really do anything with it must have lived with a certain sense of despair. I find the resultant drawings created out of his search for truth in objective facts to be powerful for what they portray (the lack of accountability in the corporate world of global finance) but ultimately they portray a world that makes me feel powerless.
LikeLike
I believe that Mark Lombardi’s drawings are pieces of artwork. Any form of art is giving away information and an idea about a certain topic. This is what Mark Lombardi is doing with his drawings. His way of conveying the information about global finance and international terrorism is a unique way and certainly makes you think more about the issue. He is almost attracting people to take a look at global finance and his comparisons because it is an art and not an article or news cast. It is a different way of thinking about the topic and is done very well. Like the professor said in the NPR recording, “with art, you want to have to look”. I think that there is a lot of information in Lombardi’s drawings that I am not really interested in. Therefore, I believe he had a direct audience of politicians and others interested in the connections that he made in his drawings. It does appeal to people that it looks like a constellation of stars and this helps define his work as art.
LikeLike
Lombardi’s work is clearly artwork. He took interest in making connections and putting names together which has a very interesting historical background. This may not be everyones impression of art but it still is a form of art. For an FBI agent wanting to look at this piece just makes it that much more interesting. If it weren’t a piece of art then I don’t believe the art museum would have taken so much interest in it. Lombardi seemed to be looking for the truth. He wanted to know what really happened what relationships were formed and took it to a whole new level. Why he took his life is beyond me wether it be because he was so interested in figuring out what he has created and all of the facts behind it. His work isn’t like any others and to not call it art is a shame. Its a sad thing he took his life because he may have been on to something no one else can figure out.
LikeLike
I think the work stands alone as an art initially. At first glance the art appears, as they said, as constellations and nothing more. Upon closer inspection however, the art has a much deeper meaning. This is part of the reason it was desired by the FBI agent. The truths it held could be very useful in an investigation, but to the untrained eye it is simply circles, letters and lines. So it is both an art alone, as well as a political tool.
LikeLike
Initially, he was an art historian, so I also feel like this is an art piece. Just the fact that it looks like the constellation of stars, with a purpose, which isn’t as hidden as other art pieces, in my opinion. I feel like this is why people might question whether this is actually an art piece considering you don’t really have to think to find this information. I love how it’s trying to find the truth, the answer, but yet it just leaves you with the same questions. It’s very compelling, which makes it so amazing.I feel like almost anything can be an artwork, as long as it has a meaning behind it, which this has. This piece of art is unique because it has many facts that anyone can try to put together than can solve something huge in society.
LikeLike
I definitely think that the drawings stand out as art on their own. They are not simply drawings that are to be viewed as just a diagram. They have a deeper meaning that is presented by the artist which causes the viewer to look closer at the image and possibly think about what is trying to be conveyed. I feel that any creation that is made to raise question about a topic should be considered artwork.
LikeLike
I believe that Lombardi’s drawings are considered artwork. His artwork portrays creativity and valid information about the world. His drawings addressed certain topics including global finance and terrorism. By portraying these messages through his constellations makes Lombardi’s artwork very unique. It may not appear to be artwork at first glimpse but it has meaning behind it. His artwork requires you figure out the truth. This is what makes his artwork so distinctive, it’s not like anyone else’s. It requires you to think about the bigger picture.
LikeLike
In my personal opinion, the Lombardi’s work stands alone as a form of art. Due to his creative way of mapping out the links between global banking and international terrorism, the work appears as a map of a constellation from afar. Looking closely, his work includes public information that everyone has access to. This drew the FBI’s attention, as it uniquely charts these international relationships. I believe that this work operates metaphorically, because of the constellation-like work covering up the inner meaning that lies behind it. This suggests that political “truth” is hidden and covered up by the way we receive information, “more beautiful” than it actually is.
LikeLike
To me, Mark Lombardi seems like a sensible and well rounded individual. It almost seems that he is doing the job as a government analyst better than the actual people themselves. The amount of information he digs up by going into depth on certain specific people or groups is truly astounding. He digs up more information than any one person thought possible and the fact that he has found ways to connect them into art is phenomenal. As mentioned in the podcast, he is able to verify the information he has and for what he isn’t able to verify, he includes a name of a person who could. The work the he has done is truly incredible
LikeLike
This work does does not stand alone as art work. This work is meant to be informational and sound, not to be technically interpreted as actual art. Though Mark Lombardi presents his information in a very unusual and unique manor, it does not necessarily mean that he is trying to make it art. Mark Lombardi poses his information in ways that expose the fact that terrorism attacks global financial giants. For example, a terrorist would not bomb a convenience store, but more likely a large chain of stores or a very large financial outpost. Terrorism is not meant to be a small dot on a map, but a large scale statement, just like anything else a small group of rebels would want to show large groups in order to attempt to be taken seiously.
LikeLike