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在編吳山專本書後期,張頌仁看過了一本dummy後,竟然問我,我最初交給AAA的proposal中的那幅理解吳山專藝術的繪圖為什麼好像未有收錄,我那時也幾錯愕,那不過是我一幅把吳山專藝術不同複雜繁多元素關係舖陳理解(並而作為整理吳山專作品集原則展示)的一個平面空間版的初步嘗試,沒有想過這些東西可以出街見得人.後來在James Elkins的Stories of Art中,卻見到作者也鼓勵人去把自己理解的藝術史,世界藝術觀畫出來.

上文談MOMA時談到的Mark Lombardi,就更可謂是把這門繪表術發揚光大的藝術家,可惜是其卻多少鬱鬱而自殺死.很多人,都把他的作品看成美國出類拔萃的"陰謀論"妄想症的顯影,但在他身後卻就出現了一幕藝術史的傳奇場面.就在911後,有FBI專程走到Whitney Museum of American Art要求館方讓他們仔細查看Mark Lombardi一幅有關於世界財團與國際性"恐怖份子"關係的圖表,雖然美國政府與拉登的關係如何從友到敵,FBI當然最心知肚明.

究竟Mark Lombardi的作品是sociogram還是藝術?據其畫廊好友所言,Mark Lombardi選來選去都只是接受以紙本素描的形式來把他的內容呈示,雖然紙本素描從來不太被受重視.我在紐約時到了在SOHO的The Drawing Center,就買了Mark Lombardi於那裡展出時Center出的pamphlet,攤開是其一作品的複印品,可惜今朝找來找去到找不到.沒法拿來補充.

Mark Lombardi過去有過一作品,把Clinton,Lippo和China Ocean shipping co. aka COSCO拿來剖析,扯到香港地頭來.不過紐約的獨立空間The Drawing Center本身(最近也因被選將來遷到World Trade Center Site的文化中心),其近來的這些"政治性"展覽傾向也受到了一點非議和壓力(我去到時在展的就是Persistent Vestiges: Drawing from the American-Vietnam War),但這種壓力從何而來,其實很明顯,用不著Mark Lombardi的圖表分析.布殊我估,在Mark Lombardi作品中的出現次數,從來也名列前矛.

這裡摘來一段Mark Lombardi其Artist Statement,以和T.H.的對照:

In 1994 I began a series of drawings I refer to as "narrative structures."... 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. .... 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.

further on the artist: http://www.wburg.com/0202/arts/lombardi.html