carlo

lombardi

“this was it — the bear meat; and now that many years have passed, I regret that I ate so little of it, for nothing has had, even distantly, the taste of that meat, which is the taste of being strong and free, free also to make mistakes and be the master of one’s destiny. ”

primo levi, the periodic table, iron.

concept

the project aims to provide a vision on the fragile relationship between human and nature through an investigation into the ethical, symbolic and anthropological evolution of conservation practices adopted over time to protect the apennine bears. juxtaposing contemporary photographs with historical images from the abruzzo, lazio and molise national park’s archive presented as “evidence” for factual context, the work brings attention to the anthropocentric approach behind the supposed objectivity of conservation efforts — the aesthetic and symbolic identification with animals as well as our longings projected on nature. it’s a reflection on humanity’s role in conservation endeavors and the subjective factors that drive our choices to protect nature and consequentially define it. 

la_carne_dell_orso-1

untitled, original color negative 6x7 format

la_carne_dell_orso-2

untitled, original color negative 6x7 format

la_carne_dell_orso-4

untitled, original bw 35mm negative from national park’s archive 

installation_view-1

untitled, 136x110cm, pigment print mounted on dibond, linden wood frame, original color negative 6x7 format / wallpaper 421x339cm

installation_view-3

untitled, 80x55cm, pigment print, nail, original bw 35mm negative from national park’s archive 

la_carne_dell_orso-5

untitled, original color negative 6x7 format

la_carne_dell_orso-6

untitled, original color negative 6x7 format

la_carne_dell_orso-7

untitled, original bw 35mm negative from national park’s archive 

installation_view-2

untitled, 90x74cm, pigment print mounted on dibond, linden wood frame, original color negative 6x7 format / 15x15 cm, pigment print, nails

installation_view-4

untitled, 120x40x20 cm, video loop, screen, speaker, amplifier, hi-fi cables, birch plywood, ash wood

untitled, 6’ 32’’, video loop, sourced from national park’s camera trap