Pam Longobardi
Pam Longobardi is an ecological installation and video artist, photographer, and painter who has exhibited extensively internationally including the United States, United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, Germany, and Monaco. Her most recent solo exhibitions include venues such as the Atlanta Art Fair, Hard Labor Creek Observatory in Rutledge, Georgia, Front Room Gallery project space in Hudson New York and the Baker Museum of Art in Naples, Florida. Recent publications include Ocean Gleaning by Fall Line Press, which include essays by artists, and Prophetic Objects + Evidence of Crimes with photographic portfolio and cover. Other notable publications include The Art Newspaper and EarthSky News. Pam’s works remain in public and private collections throughout the United States and internationally in Italy and Spain.
The various installations, photographs, and works on film involve assemblages of found discardable objects, in other words literal garbage, typically of plastic waste salvaged from the ocean or recycled polyester. Pam’s desire remains to raise awareness of pollutants in the ocean water through collective industrialization and lack of individual care. She typically creates fragmented sculptures which both directly and indirectly draw attention to the importance of ecology.
Although typically containing abstract depictions, the concept remains with the substance of the material sourced from removed plastic from the ocean. Pam brings awareness to our fragile ecosystems by typically choosing black-colored plastic as if to communicate the objects are covered with oil, slime, or collective pollutants. In stark contrast, other objects such as plastic fiber or stone are typically conveyed with joyous bright colors offering a distinction between the corrupted plastic. As an artist, she creates a metaphysical connection between the viewer and our natural world imploring the audience to appreciate their natural surroundings through the power of art.
Ocean Gleaning (pictured above) remains one of Pam’s most conceptual works. The large installation depicts an oversized anchor constructed from ocean plastic and strapped to the ceiling as well as to golden life rings. As if the anchor acts as a sinister agent bringing us down to the bottom depths of the ocean as we swim for drastic cover for the lifebuoys. A dark piece reflecting a cynical angle towards the prospect of our damage to the ocean environment, which even brings destruction to our shores.
Pam Longobardi indicates a sense of urgency to direct our focus towards ecological sustainability through her powerful works. Her vast body of art explores human impact and provokes the viewer to address one of the most urgent issues of our time, the sustainability of planet Earth. Through meticulous assembly and strategic coloring as well as combining both abstract and conceptual depictions, Pam reinterprets the role of assemblage and creates an expression steeped in economical applications and practical construction. Pam Longobardi remains a raw, dynamic artist who exemplifies a spiritual and primal interpretation of natural environments.
