“from”
- Nikki Brake-Sillá
- Perelman School of Medicine
- Independent Creative Production Grant
Kishia Nixon, a Philadelphia-based actress, who will act in the role of Silence in Nikki Brake-Sillá's "from." Photo credit: ShinesFlash Photography
Nikki Brake-Sillá will produce “from”, a work of theatre and the first part of her Blood Binds trilogy that explores a Southern Black experience through a common language of troubled familial bonds. “from” commences with a pregnancy; “Dear Ann” shows the workings of an established matriarchy, while “A Weathering” focuses on the erosion of a Black woman’s psyche. A nod to Greek tragedies, “from” illustrates the complications of cultural differences that arise when one person has a strong sense of self and history, and the other has ethnic erosion due to the lasting impressions of that ‘peculiar institution’ of slavery. Each character gives us a mirror into the complexity of gender and power.
Nikki Brake-Sillá’s art is rooted in the experiences of voiceless populations. She writes what’s not said between parents and their grown children and reveals the stories behind family silences. Her work evokes empathy through nuanced portrayals of common humanity. In her own words: “the characters I pen, and document look like me. I primarily write for Black folks, cementing our place as part of a larger, American chronicle. We all carry the weight of the trauma that is inflicted on Black bodies in this country. We are invested in each other’s stories and my art strives to broaden our narrative.”