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I jumped into a pool of thought and out of the ripples came a dream.
– Jem Ham –
Jem Ham is a self-taught artist based in Fremantle, Western Australia. Born in Melbourne in 1981, Jem’s interest in art began early. At the age of four, he became fascinated by the temporary marks left behind when painting water onto brick walls, an experience that sparked a lifelong curiosity about how thoughts and feelings can take shape in the physical world. Over time, this early interest developed into a visual language that defines his work today.
As a child, Jem spent hours climbing trees and lost in thought, quietly observing the world around him. He draws on surrealist automatism and biomorphic abstraction to create works where the real and imaginary fuse together in a world of their own.
Jem works primarily with pencils, acrylics, and oils on canvas and paper. His process often begins with automatic drawing, which he gradually develops into more detailed and often dream inspired compositions. The work unfolds naturally, responding to what emerges on the page or canvas, reflecting his ongoing interest in identity, transformation, and the workings of the mind.
Relocating to Fremantle in 2012 marked a pivotal moment in Jem’s life and creative journey. Freed from the familiar ties of Melbourne, he gained the space and clarity that allowed his artistic style to fully emerge. During this period, he committed to his practice with greater focus and professionalism. Since then, his work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions across Australia and is held in private collections. In 2021, he received Best Painting at the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Art Prize for his work Rebirth – a metamorphosis of self. His work has also been featured in various online and print publications.
2020
Thoughts from afar – an artist’s journey through a global pandemic
Ootong and Lincoln Gallery, Fremantle, Australia
2018
The Imaginarium of Jem Ham
Basement Gallery, Subiaco, Australia
2025
City of Stirling Art Awards Exhibition
City of Stirling Reception Hall, Stirling, Western Australia
2024
City of Bayswater Community Art Awards
The Rise, Maylands, Western Australia
Retrospective
Metamorphosis Gallery, Willetton, Western Australia
Visceral Pleasures
Metamorphosis Gallery, Willetton, Western Australia
2023
City of Stirling Art Awards Exhibition
City of Stirling Reception Hall, Stirling, Western Australia
Claremont Art Awards
Town of Claremont Administration Building, Claremont, Western Australia
Cossack Art Awards
Cossack Bond Store, Cossack, Western Australia
Black + White
Metamorphosis Gallery, Willetton, Western Australia
Fifty Squared Art Prize
Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, Victoria
City of Gosnells Art Awards
The Agonis, Gosnells, Western Australia
Extensions
Armadale Arena, Armadale, Western Australia
Art Lovers Australia Collector’s Edition Exhibition and Book Launch
Art Lovers Australia Melbourne Gallery, Collingwood, Victoria
2022
City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Art Prize
Goldfields Arts Centre, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Street Gallery Fremantle Project
Selected shopfronts, Fremantle, Western Australia
Minnawarra Art Awards
Armadale District Hall, Armadale, Western Australia
2021
City of Bayswater Art Awards
The Rise, Maylands, Western Australia
City of Stirling Art Awards Exhibition
City of Stirling Reception Hall, Stirling, Western Australia
City of Melville Art Awards
Wireless Hill Museum, Ardross, Western Australia
Mindscapes 2021
Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery, Fremantle, Western Australia
City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Art Prize
Goldfields Arts Centre, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kennedy Prize
Royal South Australian Society of Arts, Adelaide, South Australia
Canning Art Awards
Riverton Library, Riverton, Western Australia
Cossack Art Awards
Cossack Bond Store, Cossack, Western Australia
City of Belmont Art Awards
The Glasshouse, Cloverdale, Western Australia
2020
Spring Collection
The Corner Gallery, Subiaco, Western Australia
Waverley Art Prize
Online exhibition, Waverley Woollahra Art School, New South Wales
2019
City of Stirling Art Awards Exhibition
City of Stirling Reception Hall, Stirling, Western Australia
Canning Art Awards
Riverton Library, Riverton, Western Australia
First Look 2019 – Emerging Artist Exhibition
Buratti Gallery, Subiaco, Western Australia
2024
Monthly Art Award Winner, July Edition
Boynes Artist Award
Finalist
Art/Edit Self Represented Artist Prize
2023
Finalist
Boynes Artist Award 9th Edition
Finalist
Claremont Art Awards
2022
Finalist
Minnawarra Art Awards
2021
Best Painting
City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Art Prize
Finalist
Kennedy Prize
Finalist
City of Melville Art Awards
2020
Finalist
Waverley Art Prize
2019
Westfield People’s Choice Award
City of Stirling Art Awards
2025
Art Whisper Global Magazine: ‘Masterworks and Makers’, Vol VIII, p 25-32.
2023
Art Edit Magazine: ‘Ones to Watch’, Issue #37, p 17.
Art Lovers Australia Collector’s Edition Book
Marvelous Art Magazine, April 2023 [Online and print]
2019
Surrealism Today: “Jem Ham”, December 29, 2019. [Online]
McNeill, Sarah: “Art’s Young Tyros”, Subiaco Post, vol 46, no.11, March 16, 2019. p.67-68
2017
Art People Gallery: “The Art of Jem Ham”, September 4, 2017 [Online]
2016
STYLO Online Magazine, Issue 9 ‘Alive’, October 13, 2016. p.16-17 [Online]
2021
Mural – A diver’s dream
Private commission
Mural – Caterpillar (aka Acid Cat)
Private commission
Mural – The Human Puzzle
Private commission
Mural – Homerun Food
Private commission
Painting – Growing new lungs to breathe
Private commission
Drawing – The Natural Explorer
Private commission
2020
Mural – Mr. F. Reo
Private commission
2017
Painting – Oh the possibilities
Private commission
2016
Drawing – The human out of water
Private commission
2021
Conversations around the kitchen table
Spectrum Project Space, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia
2020 – Present
Artsource
Western Australia
2025
NAVA
Australia
2021 – 2022
Contemporary Australian Surrealists Movement (CASM)
Western Australia