giovanni longo recovers wood to form fragile skeletons series

giovanni longo recovers wood to form fragile skeletons series
all images courtesy of giovanni longo

utilizing pieces of reclaimed wood, italian artist giovanni longo has transformed the found objects into the ‘fragile skeletons’ series. creating a bond between the osseous and the ligneous elements, the works represent symbolic skeletons of various animals, weakened by the grafts of time. the process involves looking for branches and sticks along the beach, collecting them to be converted into the art installations. longo is fascinated by their natural organic consumption, their folds, marked scratches from long journeys, the signs dug up by the borers under the bark, grains carved like wrinkles and the cracks caused by their life in water.

‘the wood is a sincere material that does not deny its own past and its own history.’ says giovanni.

skeletons of birds, dogs, bats and snakes are constructed from the wooden scraps by following a specific study of the animal’s original structure. cleaning the pieces from sand and selecting the most suitable fragments to fit the sections, a level of anatomic accuracy is achieved.

giovanni longo, ‘launch stations’ (detail), 2013

giovanni longo, ‘twin lizards’, 2013

giovanni longo, ‘sedentary migratory’, 2012
image © rocco guglielmo foundation

giovanni longo, ‘sedentary migratory’ (detail), 2012 
image © rocco guglielmo foundation

giovanni longo, ‘heads or tails?’, 2009

giovanni longo, ‘heads or tails?’ (detail), 2009

giovanni longo, ‘fragile dog’, 2007

giovanni longo, “forgetful ouroboros”, 54th venice biennale (academies of art pavilion), 2011
image © lapo luchini

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