Andrew Hem: Dreams Towards Reality

Limited to only 1000 copies, this monograph is long sold out. From the publisher: Andrew Hem: Dreams Towards Reality is an exploration of the work of Andrew Hem, whose introspective, otherworldly paintings describe realities one step away from our everyday waking life. What if our thoughts flickered across the surface of our skin like ephemeral silent movies? What if spirits walked among us, trying to find their path? What if there were no racism, and even the most outlandish people were accepted? What if the children of his native land had been allowed to live in peace and thrive? In addition to a survey of Hem’s recent paintings, this volume includes selections from his early work, graffiti, sketches, murals, sculptures and collages, as well as photographs from the extensive travel in Southeast Asia and South America that has informed his vision. With an in-depth essay by Amanda Erlanson that examines how Hem’s Cambodian heritage, urban upbringing and innate empathy merged to open his unique window into the invisible territories of the human spirit, this beautifully produced monograph is a fascinating view into the soul of an artist. About the Artist Born during his parents' flight from Cambodia in the wake of the Khmer Rouge genocide, Andrew Hem grew up poised in the balance between two cultures — the rural animistic society of his Khmer ancestors, and the dynamic urban arts of the tough Los Angeles neighborhood where his family eventually came to rest. Fascinated by graffiti at an early age, he honed his skills with graphics and composition on the walls of the city before following a passion for figure drawing to a degree in illustration from Art Center College of Design. Working in gouache, oil and acrylic, he weaves atmospheric, richly textured narratives in a vivid palette of twilight blues enlivened by swaths of deep red and splashes of golden light. His haunting impressions of culture and landscape evoke the life of the spirit through the visionary manifestation of memories and dreams. Over the six years since his graduation from Art Center with a B.F.A. in Illustration, Andrew Hem has exhibited in venues worldwide, from Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York and the Portsmouth Museum of Art in New Hampshire to solo and group exhibitions in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Nashville, Miami, Toronto, Zurich and Lecce, Italy. He has lectured at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida. His personal work has been featured in Beyond Illustration, the Society of Illustrators annual, Communication Arts, Spectrum, American Illustration, 3x3, Swallow and Hi-Fructose, among others, and his illustration clients have included The Atlantic, New Scientist, the Los Angeles Times, the Fort Worth Opera, Adidas and Lucky Brand Jeans. He lives and works in Los Angeles.