Major solo exhibition by Melvin Edwards opens in Brazil

This solo exhibition brings together examples of Melvin Edwards' celebrated series 'Lynch Fragments' sculptural series. Inspired by the practices of modernists such as Julio González and David Smith, the series spans three distinct periods from the artist's life; the 1960s, during which work evolved in response to racial violence in the United States; the 1970s, in protest against the Vietnam War and from 1978 to the present, during which work for the artist became a vehicle to honour individuals, consider nostalgia and explore his interest in African culture and artefacts. Both the materials - metal objects such as hammers and chisels forged together - and the titles of individual works refer to hard physical labour and the history of brutality against the black body.

The exhibition is curated by Rodrigo Moura, assistant curator of Brazilian art at Museum of Art São Paulo.