Broken Chains

The second of seven bronze sculptures created by artist, Gerald Griffin for his "Paradigm Shift series. The artworks in this series were created as visual interpretations of original poems written by the artist over a period of twenty five years. 
The figure of a Black man with broken shackles falling from his wrists. at his feet lay chains, shackles and a noose intertwined within the American flag. This piece also speaks to the legacy of the iconic Statue Of Liberty by it's addition of the motif of the broken chains, as a symbol of liberty. However, in this piece the figure rises as through levitation above the flag and the symbols of oppression, as if by the power of his determination he has overcome adversity.