Dominick Lombardi: "The Post Apocalyptic Tattoo"
Jill Conner
D. Dominick Lombardi, Twister (Bust), 2002. Mixed-media wall sculpture, 29x14x6in.
Pain and anguish find their way into the playful abstractions of D. Dominick Lombardi. Pulling from the vast history of newsprint caricatures and the iconography of tattoos,�Lombardi presents an array of�abstract, moody forms.
� The morose cartoon figure seen in Death of a Clown isn’t the common clich� of a downtrodden Pierrot. Without feet and partly formless, this clown looks like a zombie. The accompanying sculpture Death of a Clown (Bust) features a detail of the acrylic work, and shows the balloon-like brain emerging from the back of the head. Big Foot lacks detail in comparison with the first clown piece; it’s primarily a lyrical silhouette made with different colors. The figure gradually�gives way to abstract form in Preraphaelite Premie and Shrunken Head.
While these contorted abstractions exude pain, Lombardi’s strength does not reside in these small, tragic narratives. The best work is the drawings from the vast Head-series, each using India ink to form thick, dynamic lines that push and pull into various gestures. These heads are not recognizable as faces, they are crazy, strained knots on the verge of unraveling.
� Smashed sponges, torn rags and bloated gloves would be a facile way of reading these odd specimens. But are they�anything beyond globs of ink and calligraphic scribbles? The artist claims that his comical abstractions are in fact post-apocalyptic tattoos, part of a process of coming to terms with something greater. Among the jumble of daily iconography, Lombardi’s insignias are safe from being lost.
