Sula Bermúdez-Silverman at Murmurs

At Murmurs downtown, lights are dimmed to create a moody environment for Sula Bermúdez-Silverman’s glowing sculptures. A warm glow emanates from a stack of salt bricks, which serve as pedestals for dollhouses that cast in sugar. All of Bermúdez-Silverman’s sculptures are made with either salt, sugar, or glass, materials that have been products of colonial industries. The artist calls upon ghoulish motifs, focusing specifically on the undead and the folkloric histories of the Haitian zombie in particular. Across woven tapestries, Bermúdez-Silverman explores themes of victimhood and monstrosity, pointing to racialized ways that they play out in Hollywood films, culture, and religion.

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Photo: Sula Bermúdez-Silverman, “Sighs and Leers and Crocodile Tears” (installation view) (2021). Image courtesy of the artist and Murmurs. Photo: Josh Schaedel.