“My four days in county jail were
horrible,
but disappointing my parents was a million times worse.”
Andrew Hem
but disappointing my parents was a million times worse.”
Andrew Hem
For the figurative artist and illustrator Andrew Hem doing jail time for his
graffiti exploits was the turning point in life that saw him change from illicit
street art to fine art.
As he told the Erratic
Phenomena Blog’s Amanda Erlanson “I think that a majority of graffiti
artists pursue the life of an artist or graphic designer after their graffiti
career is over – mainly because there aren’t that many jobs available for
felons. When they turn graffiti into a felony, you kind of have to be
self-employed after you get caught. A few of my friend can’t find any jobs
because of this, and turned to a life of drug dealing.”
The
son of Cambodian refugees who ended up in Los Angeles after fleeing the genocide
of the Khmer Rouge, Hem found his first friends as a teenager with the clandestine
outsiders of the street art world.
As
he has said “It was hard for me to make friends, but when I started graffiti, I
was finally labeled into a group, and that’s when I started having friends.”
But
Hem’s brush with the law saw him change tack and in 2006 he graduated from the Art Center College of Art and Design with a BFA in
illustration. From collaborating with brands like Adidas, Lucky Brand Jeans and Sony Pictures Hem’s career has
evolved into shows in Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, New York, London and
Zurich.
Drawing on the urban sensibilities
of Los Angeles which he combines with the rural animistic society of his Khmer heritage,
Hem produces dreamlike
memories inspired by personal experiences that vary from back packing in Europe
to returning to his roots in Asia.
As he
told the Huffington
Post’s John Seed “I’ve been fortunate to travel
to some amazing places. And from that I’ve met some amazing people and
experiences. Life experiences turns to stories which then turns into paintings.”
About which he has elaborated, telling Hi-Fructose magazine “I love creating worlds that do not exist. A world
where people don’t care about others’ appearance, and nobody has to worry about
fitting in or being an outcast. Where everyone is accepted. No necks, long
arms, no nose, blue faces are all normal. This is a world that doesn’t exist,
and that’s why I love creating it. I’ve experienced and witnessed too many
times where people are disgusted with what is different.”
Hem’s first solo New York
exhibition Mountain
Full is on show at the Jonathan LeVine
Gallery until the 11th of
June.
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