Outdoor installation: Shelley Miller’s Trade

About the Mural

Shelley Miller is a Montreal-based artist who confronts the dark history of sugar through community-engaged mural projects. By working in sugar, she addresses its roots in slavery and colonization.

Why is it Installed Outside?

As the mural is made of sugar, the artwork is ephemeral (not meant to last). We installed this mural outdoors so that visitors can watch it decay over time, an act that is part of the artist’s   practice. As the mural melts and falls apart, it offers a commentary on the instability of power and corruption. The erosion and decay that the mural undergoes outside, in the elements, acts  as a metaphor for the destructive side of sugar’s past. The imagery fades, either in the sun or from rain, similar to how truths of the past can be washed away and forgotten. 

Click here for an interactive experience with Shelley Miller's Artwork "Trade"