Geelong Advertiser
Published: Sat 8 Aug 2015
Author: JAIMEE WILKENS
Picture: MITCH BEAR
LOCAL artist and full time teacher Ben Lombardi will launch his fifth solo exhibition at Gordon Gallery next week. The exhibition will present 32 framed drawings and a series of 3D sculptures inspired by recent trips to Europe and New Zealand.
This exhibition has been a long time in the making, with Lombardi’s last solo exhibition in 1988. “I’ve been producing work regularly but I didn’t have a body of works I wanted to show until now,” he said.
Lombardi said that his work was heavily inspired by the places he had lived and where he had travelled, as well as the works of Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky.
The collection of works is of an abstract nature, with bursts of colours and marks on paper. “Each artwork brings me continuous learning and enjoyment as I negotiate the production process. My drawn marks and shapes aim to create visual interest, visual harmony, visual balance and visual tension,” he said.
Lombardi has used traditional printmaking training skills and modern technology such as an iPad to create this collection. “I’m a traditional print maker/ sculptor. Those skills have translated to modern forms, while new programs on the iPad have allowed old artists like me to continue my craft,” he said.
Lombardi also has a passion for teaching and has worked with generations of children, helping them develop their craft. He is very proud of the work Oberon High school has done to develop students. “The classroom is like an old artist’s apprenticeship shop,” he said.
Lombardi will be present at the exhibition from noon till four next Saturday to answer any questions. The exhibition opens next Wednesday and runs to August 26, open weekdays from 10am-4pm.