Just take one look at Andrew Hem’s introspective, otherworldly paintings and you’ll be able tell that they have a deeper meaning. Hem was born during his parents’ flight from Cambodia in the wake of the Khmer Rouge genocide. He grew up poised in the balance between two cultures – the gentle animistic society of his Khmer ancestors, and the dynamic urban arts of the tough Los Angeles neighborhood where his family eventually came to rest. Working in gouache, oil and acrylic, Hem creates richly textured narratives in a vivid palette of twilight blues, swaths of deep red, and splashes of golden light.
