John Thomas Riddle

Ghetto Merchant (1966)

Ghetto Merchant was created from physical remnants of the rebellions and most probably shown in the 66 Signs of Neon exhibition. Anthropomorphic in sensibility, it incorporates a burned-up cash register as its core element, its wiry keys a skeletal torso. This is topped by an “empty” head formed from the negative space in a metal fragment and held up by spindly steel legs, an apt metaphor for a figure that preyed on the Watts community.

Mixed media 41 x 18 1/4 in

Pacific Standard Time

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