#► — no artist tolerates reality / kareem salaam

[fireliit]

LOGAN, THIRTY-ONE, CST; SHE/THEY. | if you’re hearing COMING HOME by BRIDGES playing, you have to know KAREEM SALAAM (HE/HIM; CIS MAN) is near by! the THIRTY-SEVEN year old MUSEUM CURATOR has been in denver for, like, SIX MONTHS. they’re known to be quite FICKLE, but being FREE-THINKING seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN II. personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got those PERFECTIONISM THAT IS ALWAYS BEING FINE-TUNED AND REWORKED LIKE A MOLD OF CLAY, A GLASS OF CURATED WINE WHILE READING CLIVE BELL FOR THE THOUSANDTH TIME, FRENCH PRESS COFFEE WITH A SPLASH OF CONDENSED MILK vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around the CHERRY CREEK long enough!

Full profile under the cut! APPLICABLE TRIGGER WARNINGS: brief mentions of death by helicopter accident and natural causes

STATS Full Name: Kareem Arash Salaam Nickname(s): None Occupation: Museum curator at Denver Art Museum Age: Thirty-seven Date of Birth: July 22nd, 1986 Ethnicity/Race: Black, West Indian, African-Caribbean Gender & Pronouns: Cis man | he/him Orientation: Bisexual Height: 193 cm / 6’3” Tattoo(s): None Piercing(s): None Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Current Residence: Denver, Colorado Languages: English (fluent), French (fluent) Social Class: Upper middle class Notable Family Members: Jahmal Salaam (father, deceased), Abigail Salaam (mother), Hamaad Salaam (paternal grandfather, deceased) Traits: Honorable, creative, free-thinking, philosophical, inventive, fickle, snooty and petty MBTI: ISTP - The Virtuoso Eanneatype: Type 3 - The Achiever Moral Alignment: True Neutral Temperament: Phlegmatic Intelligence Type: Spatial, existential Astrology: Cancer sun, Aquarius moon, Capricorn ascending Habits: Glancing at watch, tapping his foot, rubbing chin, tunes boring people out, over-organized, snores when sleeping, turns almost everything into a project, raising eyebrows, often stands with hands behind his back Hobbies: Metalcrafting, wood-working, resin molding, anything art-related, visiting wineries, art journaling, visiting restaurants and giving scorching reviews on social media, reading Likes: Charcuterie boards, cured meats, philosophical debate, questioning existence and other people's poor choices, candles, pastries Dislikes: The fog, cake that's too sweet, flying on airplanes, people trying to give him nicknames, being cold, clutter BIOGRAPHY His father was a hero. That’s what others would tell Kareem when they recounted how his father died in a helicopter accident as an EMSA pilot during a vicious hurricane.  

But Kareem wasn't ever interested in chasing after his father's legacy, in flying that close to the sun, keeping his feet planted firmly on the ground from a young age. 

As the result of his father passing and his mother being away from home a lot working, he was raised primarily by a no-nonsense paternal grandfather starting from the age of seven. His grandfather instilled in him high values and expectations and, as a result, Kareem always has held himself to high standards and views the world with a critical gaze. 

Through his observations from his youth, Kareem adopted his own code of conduct. He doesn’t just hold himself to this code, but also the people around him, and as a result, he has alienated more people than not. This suits Kareem just fine as he preferred to have a smaller, curated circle of friends. 

Incredibly cutthroat and unafraid to sever ties, Kareem spent most of his time exploring the world through nature, philosophy, and art. Often found with a book in hand, in a lot of ways, George Dickie, Walter Kaufmann, and Ted Cohen were his most steady companions growing up. 

While he finds plenty of faults in people and the world around him, Kareem also has a fascination with the beauty of the imperfections that exist in every corner, leading him to follow a passion for the arts. Graduating from high school in his hometown of New Orleans, Kareem went on to get his bachelor’s in Museum Studies from New York Univeristy.

It is during this time that he meets Kassandra Yung, his first love. After a period of pining, the two of them began to date, only calling it quits upon graduation. Kassandra was going back to her home, and Kareem needed to move onto graduate school, and the two of them split after deciding not to try and make the relationship work long distance. For awhile, they still exchanged letters until contact dwindled.

Career-focused, Kareem went to John Hopkins University for his graduate studies, and after he had completed the program, he served his internship at the Dallas Museum of Art.  

Kareem spent the better part of the next decade hopping around the southern United States and leaving his footprint in various museums with his hand-picked exhibits. During this time, it wasn’t only art pieces that he left behind, but also broken hearts. Never settling down for long. 

Kareem dabbles in creating art pieces of his own every now and then, preferring woodworking and metal crafting to any other art styles, but he mostly loves to pick art pieces to hang not just in his home, but in local museums as a museum curator. 

After the passing of his grandfather last year, Kareem decided to spread his wings and relocate to Denver, Colorado to help nurture the vibrantly growing art scene there.

Throughout all of his moves, Kareem never once has taken flight, traveling cross-country by car with a moving van following behind him. Accommodating to the cooler weather has been difficult for him and he dreads the upcoming summer, but it is a price he is willing to pay for the rich culture that he has found in Denver, specifically in the River North Art District where he works. 

#chq;intro #► — no artist tolerates reality / kareem salaam

[fireliit]

closed starter for @theiressence from kareem salaam to amara washington location: anywhere

"Now, I know you probably don't want me to talk about this as this is far more your lane than it is mine," Yet Kareem is going to anyway, as he always does. "But I just have to speak me piece." As if he ever holds himself back. "This resin jewelry trend? It's got to stop. Everything looks tacky and cheap, and the worst part of it is that it's not even affordable." Plus it's terrible for the environment in terms of sustainability and that's not even getting into the DIY trend that has cause for concern when it comes to the inhalation of fumes.

#► — no artist tolerates reality / kareem salaam #► — interactions / kareem salaam #► — interactions / kareem & amara #hehehe hope this works!

[fireliit]

closed starter for @gncrly from kareem salaam location: l'arte district art gallery

"I'm still really stuck on whether this exhibition would be better presented chronologically or thematically." Set on the table is the latest storyboard that Kareem is working on for an upcoming exhibition. Arms crossed, his eyes skim over the polaroids over the collected works once more, pondering aloud. "Chronologically, we can tell a story about the different art techniques explored through the era, but thematically, we could set a juxtaposing tone...and I think that could be encapsulate the strife of the time. What do you think?"

#► — no artist tolerates reality / kareem salaam #► — interactions / kareem salaam #i thought dave would be Neat for this as they are both curators #but will be ecstatic with anyone! <3 #he could just be ranting about work or smth iadjfla

[fireliit]

closed starter for @andante--andante / from kareem to kassandra

It's his first exhibition opening since arriving in Denver, and Kareem is dressed accordingly to the nines. Champagne flute in hand, he is making the rounds and engaging in illuminating discussion with anyone who attempts to pull him aside and offer their thoughts on the theme and collection curated, but the sight of one person in particular has him stopping in his tracks. For a moment, he is convinced that he is pulled back into time, a victim merely of nostalgia as he only sees the profile of her back. It could just be a trick of the eye, yet he has to be certain, standing beside Kassandra who is perched in front of one of his favorite pieces. "Fascinating how she's able to create a painting without a traditional canvas, hm? This one's made of threads."

#► — no artist tolerates reality / kareem salaam #► — interactions / kareem salaam #► — interactions / kareem & kassandra #here we goooo

[fireliit]

closed starter for @ofwishfulthinking from kareem salaam location: farmer's market

Now that he's started to grow his own garden with mixed yielding results, Kareem is always on the lookout for expanding his vegetable horizons. Trying to just not diversify his plant profile, but also the ingredients that he cooked with. This week, he's on a mission to learn how to make chicken broth from scratch, so he has a parsnip in hand, observing it with a furrowed brow. "What color would you say these are?" he questions someone nearby, needing a second opinion. "Every guide says that the best parsnips are ivory, but that's a pretty damn specific shade when they're all some variance of white."

#► — no artist tolerates reality / kareem salaam #► — interactions / kareem salaam

[fireliit]

closed starter for @owenrobinson from kareem salaam location: the green

He's out on his daily run, and the sight of a dog isn't unusual. Plenty of people take their pups with them. The rule is to have them leashed, but he's not the type to put up a fuss if people aren't observing that guideline so long as the dog isn't pestering him. The dog that approaches Kareem, however, doesn't even have a leash, and after attempting to shoo her away, the animal sticks to him. It's not until someone else crosses the pathway that the animal is then running up to the newcomer, circling around his legs, and Kareem glances at him while pointing to the dog. "Is this dog yours?"

#► — no artist tolerates reality / kareem salaam #► — interactions / kareem salaam #i thought since i am writing the other one for james this could be for owen? #hope that's okay! #the dog could be his but i figure a stray is more likely since she wouldn't have a collar? #up to you tho!