Brooklyn-based artist Modesto Flako Jimenez is continuing his acclaimed show, Taxilandia, in Brooklyn. Flako will design and host a series of hybrid salons with local artists Hekima Hapa, Kareem Nemley, and Najee Omar, whose work intersects with gentrification. In-person and streamed live, these participatory salons are open to all and explore our notion of what it means to be a local, an immigrant, or a resident of a place. The salons will challenge us to answer “What is my personal roadmap of home?” and offer creative strategies for confronting gentrification.
Brooklyn Salon Team
Hekima Hapa - Local Salon Artist
Najee Omar - Local Artist
Fashion Designer | Curator | Educator | Community Leader
Kareem Nemley - Local Artist
Kareem Nemley is a playwright, theater producer, and community arts leader from East New York, Brooklyn. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Rooted Theater Company, a community-based theater organization dedicated to producing socially relevant work rooted in the lived experiences of the neighborhoods it serves.
Born and raised in the Pink Houses in East New York, Nemley developed a deep connection to storytelling and performance as a way to examine the complexities of community life. He studied English with a concentration in creative writing at the University of North Carolina, where he cultivated his passion for theater and began working with several theatrical ensembles.
In 2013, Nemley co-founded Rooted Theater Company with his husband and collaborator Wilfredo Florentino after recognizing the lack of accessible community theater in East New York. Through Rooted, he has helped create a platform for artists and audiences to explore issues such as race, identity, gender, gentrification, and social justice through performance.
As a playwright and producer, Nemley’s work centers Black and LGBTQ narratives and often emerges directly from community dialogue and lived experience. His writing credits include Linden Park (co-written with Brandice Peltier), along with adaptations and original works developed through Rooted Theater Company’s festivals and productions.
Through his artistic leadership, Nemley has helped Rooted Theater Company engage thousands of community members, building a vibrant space where theater becomes a tool for reflection, conversation, and collective imagination in East Brooklyn.
Social Media Handles
Kareem Nemley on Facebook
Kar_eemNemley_ on Instagram
RootedTheaterCo on Facebook, Instagram and X
Najee Omar is a poet, playwright, and performance artist whose work lives at the crossroads of poetry, theater, and community. Born and raised in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, he creates stories that imagine a world where Black people see themselves fully, love themselves deeply, and dream themselves free. His work blends poetry, movement, and music to explore memory, intimacy, and the beauty of Black queer life.
His debut play Little Black Book, developed through residencies at SPACE on Ryder Farm and Hi-ARTS, recently received a workshop production at 651 ARTS. Najee also appeared as Stephon in Shaun Neblett’s Homage 5: Life After Death at BRIC.
His poetry appears in Poet Lore Magazine and the anthology That’s a Pretty Thing to Call It, and his storytelling projects have partnered with BAM, The Public Theater, Lincoln Center, and The Met. Najee also serves on the board of the Fort Greene Park Conservancy.
When he’s not creating, he’s riding his bike, getting lost in music, or catching up on Real Housewives. Najee lives and loves in Brooklyn.
Social Media: @najeeomar - on all platforms
In partnership with
With support from Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Phase 1: Salon Conversations
With Guest Artists
We design and co-host a series of virtual salons, each with local artists whose work intersects with gentrification. Streamed live, these salons include a Taxilandia documentary on Bushwick, and an interactive portion where the artists and audience are invited to get out and capture five traces of gentrification with their cameras.
Phase 2: Community Activation
Stay Tuned for More Information!