The animated presence of upcycled cabinets

Hamed turns oil drums into conceptual furniture
He crafts and welds every element by hand
His studio allows other artisans to practise their crafts

Hamed Ouattara is a mixed media artisan whose sculptural furniture pieces are made entirely from discarded oil drums. “Influenced by my upbringing between Chad and Burkina Faso during a period of sociopolitical upheaval, I create pieces that carry strong messages,” he says. Although Hamed always had a talent for creative endeavours, he studied accounting before pursuing his practice in furniture making. After graduating, he discovered a rich artistic community at the Olorun Foundation in Ouagadougou. A scholarship eventually took him to France, where he studied at ENSCI in Paris before returning to Burkina Faso to open his studio in 2002. His works are featured at Centre Pompidou, the Brooklyn Museum, the Vitra Design Museum, the Denver Art Museum and the V&A museum. Hamed is represented by Friedman Benda in New York and Foreign Agent in Lausanne.

Hamed Ouattara is a master artisan: he began his career in 2002 and he started teaching in 2002.

INTERVIEW

I have always loved creating. As a child, I made clay toys and wire cars, and was immersed in African history and music. Having to flee war taught me to stay adaptable and realise anything can happen at any time. Because of this, I was determined to prove that art is a real profession.

My mother used to fry cakes in a hand beaten metal pan. I built my first stools from that metal. Oil drums were everywhere due to waste colonialism. I wanted to transform the material with African ingenuity and send it back to where it came from.

In Bamana, boli means 'to run' and bana means 'the end'. Through this collection, I aim to say that the running is over. The term itself comes from anticolonial history in the Sahel, and my work brings together African architecture, banko mud brick, ancestral craft and living tradition.

I am launching SIRA ARTA, a space that combines craft, traditional medicine and modern technology, including AI for 3D design. As a child, plants healed me, so I want to bring these distinct worlds together. The project will feature high-tech creations deeply inspired by spirituality and nature.

Hamed Ouattara

Cabinetmaker

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

ADDRESS

Dagnoen, 226, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

View on Maps

AVAILABILITY

By appointment only

LANGUAGES

French, English

Homo Faber 2026

HOMO FABER FINDS

Homo Faber Finds is a new service aiming to inspire admirers of craft to connect and collaborate with exceptional artisans.
We invite you to submit an enquiry here.

Browse the e-catalogue