Beyond Cabo Verde, 2006
After establishing a studio in Dakar, Senegal in 2000, Melvin Edwards began mounting small-scale sculptures onto iron grids crafted by local metalworkers. Recalling the reductive, linear compositions of modernism, these grids serve as window bars in Dakar and are found throughout the city. Juxtaposing the formal associations and utilitarian function of this locally sourced material, the Grids expand on the welded, sculptural language Edwards first developed with his Lynch Fragments. Created only when the artist is in Senegal, the series represents his ongoing interest in collaborating with African craftspeople.