Ancestor

This cabinet by Hamed Ouattara was handcrafted from reclaimed steel oil barrels shaped over a wooden structure. With its vertical, totemic presence, the piece evokes symbolic architecture and ideas of lineage. By upcycling the oil barrel, an emblem of industrial extraction across Africa, the artist puts forward a vision of the continent not merely as a land of resources, but as a pool of imagination and craftsmanship.

CRAFTED BY

Hamed Ouattara

Cabinetmaker | Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Sorry, this object is not included in the Homo Faber 2026 Awards.