On October 17th 2001, Joe Amrhein, director of a small gallery in Brooklyn, received an alarming call. While investigating the 9/11 attacks, an FBI agent became interested in the whereabouts of a particular drawing by artist Mark Lombardi. The piece was currently being displayed at the Whitney Museum.
Since the early 90’s, Lombardi has worked on large-sized drawings, a series of detailed, handcrafted diagrams that he referred to as »narrative structures«. Circles, arrows and lines connect names and axes display time lapses. From a distance these reduced forms assemble into an aesthetic whole. But from a close range these networks reveal disturbing facts about economical affairs, political involvements, conspiracies and global corporate crime. The artworks in question is called BCCI-ICIC & FAB, 1972-91and will supposedly help uncover intelligence regarding the 9/11 attacks. The piece itself shows detailed information about the Bin Laden family and the US banking system. This is the first time in history that a piece of art is being used as an information source in an investigation on this scale. Lombardi himself couldn’t be questioned at this point. In March of 2000, the artist was found dead in his studio.
The film unravels a haunting search for facts and fiction. Based on the obsession of an artist, the film focuses on our media-affected times, characterized by information overload and lowdown density, but still leaves enough space from which »narrative structures« can evolve. This documentary deals with the dysfunctions of our economic system that perpetuates global crises, while concentrating on the fascinating life and work of Mark Lombardi himself.