@andrewhem Mural @ 305-311 Union St

This downtown Lynn mural on Union Street is the work of Andrew Hem, a painter whose ethereal compositions draw on graffiti as well as tribal and supernatural imagery. It was organized by Beyond Walls, which brings public art to the city’s walls. Hem describes his compositions as dreamlike memories inspired by personal experiences, and his paintings are described as functioning like a window onto the invisible realm of the human spirit.

Hem was born while his parents were fleeing Cambodia in the wake of the Khmer Rouge genocide, and he grew up in Los Angeles, where his family settled. Being positioned between his ancestors’ rural heritage and the urban sensibility of Los Angeles shaped his aesthetic. He has since exhibited in Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, New York, London and Zurich, and his work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Print Magazine and American Illustration.

What to Know

• Hem earned a degree in illustration from Art Center College of Design in 2006.
• He has collaborated with brands including Adidas, Lucky Brand Jeans and Sony Pictures.
• A 120-page survey of his work, Andrew Hem: Dreams Towards Reality, was published in 2012.
• Travel in Southeast Asia and South America has informed his vision.