Hamed Ouattara is a multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Ouagadougou. His furniture, made

from the raw material of used barrels and cans, and distinguished by structured lines and purist style,

has established itself in the international design scene. A visual artist, he works in painting, sculpture

as well as installation, giving a sensible role to elements derived from nature. In all, his creative

intuition is nourished by ancestral spirituality.

Since its birth, the SHO design studio (or Studio Hamed Ouattara) was able to adjust its mode of

production and diffusion to the local conditions, either equipment, energy supply or the sourcing of

material. With passion and determination, the designer pursues his research and transmits the most

precise gestures to his assistants. The peculiar care attached to each detail and the quality of finishing,

attest that circular economy can meet the request of high-end refined production. Furthermore, SHO

design gradually conquers local consumers, thus introducing qualitative and sustainable products to

their lifestyle.

Born in 1971 in Ouagadougou, Hamed Ouattara studied accounting before moving to fashion design

and visual arts, as a self-taught. He received a training from the Olorun Foundation, where his first solo

exhibition was held in 1999. He pursued his design studies at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de

Création Industrielle (ENSCI) in Paris where he graduated in 2003. As early as 2002 he founded his

company which became in turn Hamed Design International, then Studio Hamed Ouattara (SHO).

During the last two decades, Hamed Ouattara has regularly exhibited across the world: from

Scandinavia to the Iberic peninsula, from Middle East to the USA, he took part in more than fifty

venues. He joined the highly dynamic DNA (Design Network Africa) supported by the Danish Center for

Culture and Development. As such, he participated in numerous initiatives aiming at accompanying

the designers based in the African continent and ensuring their international reach. Two collective

shows proved to be a positive turning point in his career, Graphic Africa organized in 2013 at the

Habitat ‘s Platform Gallery in London, and Africa Africa/Exploring the Now of African Design and

Photography, presented in 2018 at Palazzo Litta in Milan.

In France, Hamed Ouattara’s works featured at Exceptions d’Afrique at Art Curial (2021), AKAA Art Fair

(2017 and 2019), Maison et Objet (2014 et 2016). In Africa, their presence were noticed at GUILD

Design Fair (2014 et 2015) in Cape Town and at the Africa Design Days in Morocco (2015 and 2017) as

well as at the Panafrican Cultural Festival of Alger - PANAF (2009).

In front of the security issues that his country deals with, Hamed Ouattara launches the concept of

Artistic Resistance which aims at transforming art into a weapon and a tool of mutual aid. He develops

outdoor installations to reach a wider audience. Called by the NGO Solidarité Laïque to strive for the

development of a center with a social and environmental goal in Koubri, in the outskirts of the capital,

he implements manual training for the youth.

In 2019, Hamed Ouattara took part in BISO OFF (Biennale Internationale de Sculpture de Ouagadougou

- OFF) for which he is the October 2021 edition’s coordinator.