Mel Edwards (b. 1937)
Lives and works in New York City
Chains, nails, shovels, locks: these are some of the recurring metal objects Melvin Edwards has employed to create his sculpture series, Lynch Fragments. The sculptures are both visually striking and powerfully metaphorical, shaping a unique experience for the viewer. Blades, pipes, spikes, and other metal pieces blatantly confront the viewer with strong, industrialized notions of labor and struggle, of oppression and resistance.
Many of the objects juxtaposed together in Mel Edwards’ sculptures can be interpreted from contrasting concepts. Chains, for example, may represent either slavery or societal connection. Shovels, hoes, and spades may represent forced labor, or the construction of new ideals. The opposing ideas connected to these objects allow the sculptures to be viewed in either a pessimistic or optimistic way.
Many of the objects juxtaposed together in Mel Edwards’ sculptures can be interpreted from contrasting concepts. Chains, for example, may represent either slavery or societal connection. Shovels, hoes, and spades may represent forced labor, or the construction of new ideals. The opposing ideas connected to these objects allow the sculptures to be viewed in either a pessimistic or optimistic way.
"Elegy To and For," 1999
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To better understand the context in which the Lynch Fragment sculptures were created, it is worth knowing the artist’s personal background. Melvin Edwards was born in Houston, Texas, in 1937. In 1957, he attended the University of Southern California, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in painting. By the early 1960s, Edwards turned his creative energy to sculpture, having learned how to weld metal. The transition from painting to sculpture came from his desire to transform three-dimensional space into art, rather than being limited to a flat surface.
One of the early motivational factors of Edwards’ work was jazz music. Having found virtually no mention of African or African-American art in his art history classes at USC, or at any art museums, Edwards became intrigued by jazz music. At the time, it was the most accessible form of African-American creative expression. Just as individual musicians collaborated to create music as a whole, Edwards was inspired to apply the same principle to his sculptures, joining individual items together into a more powerful whole. The Civil Rights movement, of which Edwards was an active participant, also heavily influenced his work. He began the Lynch Fragments series in 1963, and continued to create sculptures for it in three time periods: 1963-1967, 1973, and 1978–present. To date, there are over two hundred sculptures in the series.
The Lynch Fragment sculptures have varied in shape and style over the past decades, but the underlying message within them remains the same. Intended to be hung at the viewer’s eye level, the sculptures’ metaphorical richness let the viewer reflect in the symbols of oppression and hope. The collective memories of African culture and history resonate in the sculptures. Everyday objects such as scissors, hooks, screws and tools, are transformed into unique pieces that capture the oppression and resistance that defines the African American legacy.
Molly Schoen
One of the early motivational factors of Edwards’ work was jazz music. Having found virtually no mention of African or African-American art in his art history classes at USC, or at any art museums, Edwards became intrigued by jazz music. At the time, it was the most accessible form of African-American creative expression. Just as individual musicians collaborated to create music as a whole, Edwards was inspired to apply the same principle to his sculptures, joining individual items together into a more powerful whole. The Civil Rights movement, of which Edwards was an active participant, also heavily influenced his work. He began the Lynch Fragments series in 1963, and continued to create sculptures for it in three time periods: 1963-1967, 1973, and 1978–present. To date, there are over two hundred sculptures in the series.
The Lynch Fragment sculptures have varied in shape and style over the past decades, but the underlying message within them remains the same. Intended to be hung at the viewer’s eye level, the sculptures’ metaphorical richness let the viewer reflect in the symbols of oppression and hope. The collective memories of African culture and history resonate in the sculptures. Everyday objects such as scissors, hooks, screws and tools, are transformed into unique pieces that capture the oppression and resistance that defines the African American legacy.
Molly Schoen
 "Whispers," 1991
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 "Archaeology," 1995
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