Guest Curator

Jeff Hamada of Booooooom

We’re thrilled to launch our new Guest Curator series featuring tastemakers from the worlds of  art, design, fashion and more.  In this series, we’ll see how art influences their personal style, taste and perspective and learn what role it plays in their lives.

This week, we’ve asked artist Jeff Hamada creator of Booooooom to curate an exclusive collection for us. Running a great site filled with an eclectic blend of art, music, and video- we thought he’d have the perfect eye for highlighting some great works of art. Read more about his process and how art impacts his life below, and then be sure to check out his Saatchi Online curated collection!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUu-RhfB8tY/?taken-by=booooooom

Do you collect art?

Yes I do. I’m not rich though, so I mostly collect  work by emerging artists. I’m really fortunate to have talented friends who have also given me artwork.

What is the favorite piece of art that you own?

A large print by photographer Garry Trinh. It is an image of an ice cream truck and a line up of people. It is a hot day, one guy is wearing ass-less leather pants and the very next guy in line is wearing a pair of leather shorts with no shirt. It’s as if the back of the first guy’s pants has been ripped off and the other guy is wearing it – it’s hard to explain how funny it is without seeing it. I’m a huge fan of Garry Trinh’s work, especially the things he notices on the street.

What can’t you live without?

Spaghetti.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHD6j1rjzzJ/?taken-by=booooooom

Which artist, living or dead would you most like to meet?

I would choose Jim Henson if I could just sit near him and watch him work.

Do you produce art? If so, what sorts of things do you create?

I make text-based drawings, usually with pencil crayon. They kind of act as a diary for me. Many of the drawings are based on experiences I’ve had and the rest are things I’ve overheard.

Did you grow up in an artistic family?

My family was never particularly artistic but my parents put me in art classes as a kid and really encouraged me to draw a lot. I think I took that for granted when I was younger. I used to invite friends over just to draw at our kitchen table and I didn’t realize not everyone liked to do it as much as I did.

https://www.instagram.com/p/_aVQNzk9V4/?taken-by=booooooom

What is the driving force behind your blog?

There are a lot of sites out there whose mission is to inspire but I think I’m more interested in encouraging people.  My focus with Booooooom has always been the community. I really enjoy communicating and sharing ideas so the site could be about anything as long as it allowed me to connect with people.

Where do you look for cool new work?

The Booooooom Facebook group has turned into a really great resource. There are now close to 90,000 fans so there’s a ton of work being posted to the wall everyday. It’s cool because a lot of the work is coming from people who haven’t been featured anywhere before.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BU2r5twhB5H/?taken-by=booooooom

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