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Everything Falls Apart on view at The John Horseman Foundation. 2026

Additional Artworks

From Ronald Young

  1. Shovel (Totem Pole Series) by Ronald Young, Image 1.

    Shovel (Totem Pole Series)

    Sculpture

    66 x 12 x 15 in (167.64 x 30.48 x 38.1 cm)

    $17,995

  2. Saw (Totem Pole Series) by Ronald Young, Image 1.

    Saw (Totem Pole Series)

    Sculpture

    68 x 12 x 15 in (172.72 x 30.48 x 38.1 cm)

    $18,995

  3. Sickle (Totem Pole Series) by Ronald Young, Image 2.

    Sickle (Totem Pole Series)

    Sculpture

    65 x 12 x 15 in (165.1 x 30.48 x 38.1 cm)

    $18,995

  4. Crown (Totem Poles Series). by Ronald Young, Image 2.

    Crown (Totem Poles Series).

    Sculpture

    58 x 12 x 15 in (147.32 x 30.48 x 38.1 cm)

    $16,995

  5. Somewhere Over There by Ronald Young, Image 1.

    Somewhere Over There

    Sculpture

    16 x 12 x 12 in (40.64 x 30.48 x 30.48 cm)

    $7,995

  6. In the Thick of Things by Ronald Young, Image 1.

    In the Thick of Things

    Sculpture

    20 x 12 x 12 in (50.8 x 30.48 x 30.48 cm)

    $6,995

  7. State of the Union by Ronald Young, Image 2.

    State of the Union

    Sculpture

    18 x 12 x 12 in (45.72 x 30.48 x 30.48 cm)

    $9,995

  8. Knock-Knock by Ronald Young, Image 2.

    Knock-Knock

    Sculpture

    14 x 9 x 10 in (35.56 x 22.86 x 25.4 cm)

    $4,995

View All Artworks

Exploring sites throughout St. Louis, Ronald Young scavenges the items he incorporates into his multilayered sculptures. He combines objects like doorknobs and rusted tools with charred wood, rope, bricks, chains, and nails--always plenty of nails. Through his efforts, Young reveals local material and economic realities: In St. Louis, he finds these items in buildings that have fallen into disrepair and elevates them into compelling artworks that celebrate this hard-won beauty.

Young is inspired by African nkisi, sculptural objects made by Kongo artists and used in ritual ceremonies. Nkisi can refer to spirits or the sculptures in which they reside, and each nail driven into the object is a spiritual vow between humans and non-human sources of power. Drawing inspiration from these ancient rituals and traditions, Young's sculptures focus this energy. Through his handiwork, Young makes gestures of reparation and restoration, and signals his care for St. Louis. He shows us that even in the midst of crisis--or perhaps because of it--it is possible to find moments of beauty and reckoning.

Text by Dean Daderko and Misa Jefferies

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