Check Out Salem Roberts’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Salem Roberts.

Hi Salem, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I have always wanted to be an artist. I know that sounds cliche, but it’s true. I’m Soopernerd. I’ve always been interested in ways of seeing and being different from everyone around me growing up. I came from a very conservative evangelical background, and there’s usually only a singular spectrum allowed where you can view or experience the world. Art has no limits; You can play with boundaries. Or you can play. I learned that from my Oliver Herring. He’s an incredible New York-based artist known internationally for his use of experimental techniques to understand better human nature, individual behavior, and interpersonal dynamics. Some of his work was at the Frist a couple of years ago. I was in one of his performance pieces about a decade ago in Manhattan. That lead me to apply to the Art21 Educators program. It’s this intensive, year-long professional development initiative and learning community. The program is designed to support K–12 educators in any subject area who are interested in bringing contemporary art, artists, and themes into classroom teaching and learning. I was a high school teacher then. Currently, my practice is a physical investigation of perseverance and mental health, exploring themes of hope and my bipolar diagnosis.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m currently exploring struggle in my latest art project, “Weighed Down.” It’s an ongoing performance and visual art project, physically investigating perseverance and mental health. In this series, I’m weighed down by body weights while performing simple exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups, and walking on a treadmill. Each activity is documented by tally marks I make on paper between repetitions. Through embodiment and movement, I work to explore themes of hope and my bipolar diagnosis.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
“Elevating every day” is a phrase I often return to as an artist. Besides my current project, I’m also proud of my past projects. Edvard Emoji was an ongoing digital and social media art project, bringing forgotten works of art back to life by adding an emoji. It was originally envisioned as a resource for educators to re-contextualize “forgotten” works of art in a way that makes them relevant to students by showcasing these works in a contemporary gallery with a minor modern modification. The viewer is invited to explore the work for what is both familiar and out of place. It was featured in Fubiz, Vice, and The Creator’s Project.

https://www.soopernerd.com/edvard-emoji

Trumpsbury was a digital and social media art project during the 2016 Presidential Election, placing Donald Trump’s face on Angela Lansbury with real quotes from Trump. It was followed on social media by political non-supporters and supporters alike. It invited a diversity of interpersonal narratives to co-exist within a shared experience.

Trumpsbury has since appeared on t-shirts in photographs of people with politicians throughout the United States and has been shared by constituents at BuzzFeed, Disney, MTV, InStyle, Paper Magazine, ICI Radio-Canada, and more.

https://www.soopernerd.com/trumpsbury

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Nashville has many talented, amazing people who bring their full selves to this city. It’s also a city full of people constantly reaching toward being even better. Take the entrepreneurial scene. Clara Belden is doing incredible things with The Happy Hour for mental wellness. It’s so unique. Check it out. You won’t find something like that anywhere else but here.

Pricing:

• With my current project, 100% of profits for tally mark works go to the non-profit inseparable to help fight for a future where mental health care isn’t an afterthought

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.soopernerd.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soopernerd/
• Other: https://vimeo.com/740173641