Though not a household name, the Alabama-based African-American artist and musician, known for his work at the Smithsonian and American Folk Art Museum, and a series of embryonic, free-form improvisations, has lived a life worthy of recount. 

The focus of today’s impassioned short – shot by Norwegian artist Daniel Larsen – is shown waxing lyrical on the beaches of a small island in the Arctic Circle, as well as opening the SALT arts festival with a mesmerizing musical performance.

One of 27 children, and a father to 15, Holley’s history is a patchwork of farfetched rumor, from claims he was traded for a bottle of whiskey at the age of four, to the six-figure sum he received when his home and sculpture park was relocated by a nearby airport’s expansion.

Often (erroneously) labeled outsider art, Holley’s artwork is infused with cultural symbolism, from his paintings to the chaotic amalgamations of found material. He re-enacts the actions of his youth, whether it be his first job picking litter to watching his mother forage for food and clothing.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, a city known for its fraught political history and where he continues his practice today, the enigmatic artist has been creating works that celebrate the area’s vast and complicated African-American heritage for over 40 years.

SALT festival runs until September 6, 2015 in Sandhornøy, Norway.