SHEM, the artist and his work, are purposeful in every way. Although the pieces showing in his current Don’t Forget To Teleport exhibition are layered with bright, playful colours and shapes that might create flashes of childhood memories - a period in our lives that might feel random now - spend a little time with SHEM and you’ll learn quickly that he is expressing a very specific set of stories through his media.

The London-born artist started his creative journey “in secret” back in 2018 - in the basement of a friend’s gallery. For a few days, he had an opportunity to run the space - pretending it was his; this alone says a great deal about SHEM’s outlook and potential.

He hung some of his pieces on the walls and watched and listened to the reactions of visitors from behind the desk. While some of the feedback was harsh, he was thrilled to sell two paintings.

It’s not been easy since then - and you get a feeling that, despite his successes, it’s still far from easy today. He lived in a closed chip shop and a William Hill as a property guardian, and shared another place which required his electrician skills to wire up lights and heating.

Discovering the artist community in east London fed his growing appetite to create more art, which he now produces in his Bow-based studio.

His operating system as an artist is high-speed, multi-canvas and emotional. SHEM will work on as many as five pieces at the same time.

Long nights, together with a TV on and music playing are when the work happens in his live-work studio. Friends might be with him while he works, but they need to be “comfortable being ignored”. And coming from a family with nine siblings, the attempt to create controlled chaos is palpable in his work.

He admits he doesn’t see his mother and family enough, so fills that space with art as a way of staying connected to them.

SHEM is a busy and ambitious man, and you can feel it when talking with him. He’s open, he smiles, he’s clearly pursuing ideas and opportunities.

Partnerships and brands are important, too. These are evolving extensions of his creative process, his commercial interests - each on display as well. For example, the lighting hardware in the show is specifically selected by SHEM, and the sunglasses and notebooks are his choices, too - backed up by language and passion you get from someone deep into Star Wars collectables.

Don’t Forget To Teleport has been extended into April and SHEM is there most days. Go see him and his work. Highly recommended.