Artist Statement – Dr. Emil Silberman

Art has always been my deepest language—an unspoken dialogue between emotion, narrative, and form. Since I received my first box of plasteline at age three, sculpting has been my way of capturing the unseen, giving shape to thoughts, stories, and raw human experience.

Though I explored art through various avenues, I remained largely self-taught, forging my own path of discovery. In a twist of fate, I became an Emergency Room physician, practicing in an inner-city hospital in New York. For years, I struggled to reconcile these seemingly opposing worlds—until I realized they were, in fact, inextricably connected.

Emergency medicine places me at the epicenter of the human condition. I witness the full spectrum of emotion—anguish, fear, resilience, joy—etched into faces and bodies. The distortion of anatomy by illness and aging, the unfiltered expressions of those in crisis, and the impermanence of each moment continuously inform my creative process. At the same time, art serves as my own medicine—a way to transmute the intensity of my work into something tangible, meaningful, and healing.

Over time, my artistic practice has evolved, expanding beyond traditional sculpture into large-scale installations, conceptual pieces, mixed media, and site-specific works. My signature plaster technique allows me to create visceral, textured forms, each infused with a sense of presence and imperfection. Inspired by Kabbalah, philosophy, and human psychology, my work invites reflection, dialogue, and a deeper engagement with the world around us.

In a time when technology often distances us from true human experience, I believe art has the power to reconnect us—to emotion, to thought, to one another. Creativity is not an escape; it is a return—a way to reclaim the depth and complexity of being alive. Through my work, I hope to spark conversation, provoke introspection, and remind us all that art is the best medicine.