Figures Holding Up Padlock, 1974
Paint on found metal Coca Cola sign
24 X 24 in (60.96 x 60.96 cm)
Hand-signed and dated “74 Young” top center
[see historical photo of Goodbread Alley attached]
In a subversive use of corporate brand marks, Young transforms a Coca-Cola sign into a circular canvas where resolute figures raise a lock high, joined together in common cause against untold human struggle. This sense of community was key for Young. It provided him with extended family and emotional connection, an infinite stream of subject matter and a robust supply of materials on which to create. Most importantly it provided him a place to be. And it is that support structure the artist suggests may also be the solution for the citizens of Goodbread Alley to chart a course through the seismic changes during Miami’s transformational 70’s. Even if freedom remains just beyond our fingertips, Young implies, resilience sustains inertia in the direction of success, with the odds being greater when focused together.