Born in Geelong, Australia, Longo's multidisciplinary practice interrogates images that engage with fragmented and disfigured bodies—the grotesque. Central to his research is the utilisation of digital pseudo-surgical techniques to investigate human desire, focusing on the phenomenological exploration and material manifestations of societal taboos. Positioned at the intersection of Gothic and Body Horror genres, Longo employs photography, video, sculpture, and sound to manipulate bodily materiality.
The artist’s background in theatre photography significantly influences his practice. His knowledge of building photographic studio sets and chiaroscuro lighting techniques, adds a unique dimension to his work. With an objective to symbolically embody and contextualise intangible phenomena, he thereby aims to veil/unveil obscured facets of the human psyche. Adopting a sadist approach to methods, he antagonises corporeal boundaries to express taboo elements of personal experience through anatomical dismemberments.
Longo has gained international recognition, with exhibitions in Australia, Europe, and the U.S.A. He draws inspiration from diverse sources, including early modern anatomical theatres, medical journals of body deformity, Victorian freak shows, the Beatnik generation, and fetish culture. Longo aims to challenge societal norms and delves into the complexities of human experience. Engaging with theoretical and philosophical discourses surrounding taboo, abjection, horror, and the grotesque, he seeks viewers to reconsider their perceptions and embrace hidden or taboo predispositions. With a proclivity for the unconventional, Longo aims to provoke audiences to question societal sensibilities.
Education + Awards: Master of Fine Art (RMIT) / Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art (RMIT) / Bachelor (Honours) in Photography (RMIT): First-Class Graduate + Top 3 Dean’s List / Master of Fine Art (RMIT, 2024) / Top 20 Graduates in Australia: Ballarat International Biennale 2021 / 1st Place: International Photography Awards 2021
Shows & Awards
EDUCATION:
Master of Fine Art / RMIT 2024
Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art / RMIT 2018
Bachelor’s Degree in Photography with Honours / RMIT 2021
- First-Class Graduate + Top 3 Dean’s ListDiploma in Graphic Design / Gordon Institute 2016
SOLO:
CROOKED: Act I: Red Gallery, Fitzroy 2023
CHAMELEON DEATH: Platform Arts, 2021 / Interview: Here
ENTER AS STRAYS, Platform Arts, 2015
ALTER - Platform Arts, 2013
Group:
EDGE Galleries, Maldon, 2023
FOTO WIEN 2023, Säulen Der Erinnerung (Pillars of Memory), Austria
Fresh Legs 2022 Exhibition, Galleri Heike Arndt DK: Berlin, Germany
Future Bodies 2022, U.S.A @ Virginia Tech
Scout Kettinge Exhibition 2021 & 2022: Denmark
Copper Traces in Time: Hold - The Salon @ The Capitol / Part of Melbourne Design Week 2021
MUSAO Museum - Vienna, Austria 2020
Alumni Show - Platform Arts 2020
Death In A Box - Emergency Artistry
Collective Exhibition, 2020SELFie - Neon Parlour, 2017
Blood Ought Rights – Analogue Academy, 2016
RMIT Fine Art Degree Show, 2016
MASC Foundation Gallery - Vienna, Austria 2015
Boundaries – Lowercase Poetry, 2015
Forest/s - Boom Gallery, 2012
First – RMIT University 2013
Exposed Visions – Gordon Institute 2010
AWARDS:
1st Place Winner 2021: International Photography Awards—
Special/Other CategoryInternational Foto Biennale Top 20 Artists in Australia, 2021
Honourable Mention 2021 Moscow International Foto Awards
Featured Artist on Lens Culture, 2020