Elementary
Artist
Melvin Edwards
(American, born 1937)
Date1980
MediumWelded steel with barbed wire, chain, keys and locks
DimensionsOverall: 12 1/4 x 6 3/4 x 6 1/2in. (31.1 x 17.1 x 16.5cm)
ClassificationsSCULPTURE
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number96.11
DescriptionVertical wall-mounted sculpture; 'hanging from the fragment are two closed padlocks, one a key lock, the other a combination lock. The front of the sculpture is bound by a chain.' Keys dangle from the left side and barbed wire is entwined on the right.On View
Not on viewCollections
Copyright© Melvin Edwards
Label TextMelvin Edwards has worked on his Lynch Fragments series since 1963. These head-shaped relief sculptures are composed of chains, spikes, barbed wire, automobile parts, tools, knives, and similar items. Edwards uses these materials for their positive, as well as their negative, connotations. Barbed wire, for example, can suggest both farming and imprisonment.
Edwards says that the series is not specifically about lynching, but rather is "a metaphor for the whole struggle" for racial equality. The series also celebrates the efforts of people fighting for change: "People sacrifice to make things better."
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