Anyone telling Salem his art belongs in a museum, including Salem himself, does not engage with museums and galleries. Like, I do not either, not often at least, but the small amount that I go that sort of stuff is enough for me to know that his slop would not and should not be there for a couple of reasons, at least that I can think of. I say all of this as someone currently refining their personal portfolio, and I am going to treat it as a critique.
For one, all of his art is very transparent and has a sort of "tell, don't show" quality; it all tends to lack the visual metaphors and symbolism that you typically see in galleries and museums. There are no deeper meanings, hidden subtexts, or abstract concepts explored through his art, at least not anything intentional. There is no exploration of self, culture, or the world around him that goes beyond surface level. There is no progression of ideas across pieces. There is also the fact that the quality of his work is decreasing overall, but he has shown poor craftsmanship and very little interest in improvement for a while.
And second, he does not leave his fucking house. His art will never be publicly displayed because he does not exist in public or the art world. He is an online furry artist with no real-life ties to the art world. If he engaged with art in galleries and exhibitions, especially at contemporary institutions, he would see that he is not unique or special, and that his art is extremely stunted compared to other Black artists. He would realize that his constant self-victimization has become a prison of his own making that has prevented him from growing as an artist and a thinker.
Salem does not allow himself time to generate ideas and connections; he seemingly operates under the mindset that if he is not drawing or posting, he is failing. Malcolm Peacock, a Black artist featured in the 2026 Whitney Biennial, spent ten months creating his interpretation of a coastal redwood tree that features excerpts from the autobiographies of Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X. The surface of this sculpture is comprised of over 3,500 braids, yes, braids, that he made *by hand*. The piece is an exploration of this idea of endurance and performance that Peacock often explores, combined with his use of braids and excerpts, which creates a connection to the emotional and psychic spaces of Black subjects.
Malcolm Peacock, Five of them were hers and she carved shelters with windows into the backs of their skulls, 2024
Compare this to Salem, who prattles on about how he is proud to be black and says nigga like it proves something when in reality he has no external connections to Black culture and community (which is something of an accomplishment for someone who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, of all places). Success continues to evade his art, especially his "political pieces", because he has no connection to the culture and can only regurgitate what he sponges up from others, particularly the salt blogs that he lurks around. I predict he will soon present a sudden, deep interest in Peacock and his work. But we will see.
Salem's lack of craftsmanship, intention, and depth, paired with his lack of maturity, accountability, and sensitivity towards others, is what holds him back. All of these are things that are necessary to succeed as an artist in a real-life community. He would not be able to get on as he is with other artists in any space where critique is expected because he would not be able to default to his typical pattern of guilt-tripping and suicide-baiting.
Salem can pat his own ass as much as he wants, but he is fooling no one with his self-indulgent bullshit. His art is rushed, unrefined, and shallow, without any consideration of how to communicate to an audience without relying on numerous self-reblogs to explain. Art is meant to take time, especially if you want it to be something displayed to real people, but Salem is too impatient to write a full artist statement to accompany his pieces in a single post. Until he learns to put his gunt in his pants and leave his house, nothing will change. And even then, other people will recognize that he is not unique and revolutionary; they will see him for the prejudiced, immature, and ignorant man that he is.
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blakekathryn
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