Born: 2005, Beverly Hills, California
Based in: Miami, New York, Düsseldorf
Website: https://jjhammond.art
Instagram: @jjhammond
Gallery Representation: Temporary at VFA and Spielzeug
Biography:
JJ Hammond believes everyone is an artist in their own way. For her, art was never something she “got into” but something she naturally expressed by putting existing objects together and giving them new life. She draws inspiration from artists like Duchamp and from the desire to revive a simpler, forgotten time. Childhood, in particular, shapes her practice. Though she remembers little from those years, she knows she was happy and carefree, and that contrast with adulthood fuels much of her work.
Born in California and raised in Asia, JJ came of age in Miami and New York. She began treating her creativity as a business at fifteen, first through painting. In Miami, she entered the art world early, showing work, networking quickly, and encountering both supportive and difficult situations that taught her about trust, boundaries, and identity as a young artist.
After high school, she decided not to attend college and moved to New York independently. The transition was overwhelming, yet pivotal. She pushed herself to keep making work, showing up to events, and building community at times when she wanted to disappear. She hosted two solo shows in her apartment and later organized a group exhibition with fifteen artists as a thank-you to the community that supported her. She joined VFA and Spielzeug, donated work to charity, and continued to build her practice independently. For JJ, this is still the beginning, with more learning, mistakes, and growth ahead.
Challenges remain, especially physically producing large-scale work without assistance. She often works alone with limited space and resources, but stays patient, trusting that her ideas will manifest with time. A defining moment came when an established artist released work strikingly similar to hers. It was painful and destabilizing, but instead of quitting, she deepened her practice and emerged stronger, more intentional, and more confident.
Her work continues to be motivated by people, experiences, history, emotions, conversations, and the way the world feels on any given day.
Artistic Practice:
JJ works primarily with toys, wood, metal, light, retro televisions, and iPads. These materials allow her to merge childhood nostalgia with contemporary life, placing innocence and modern overstimulation in the same environment. Her style is contemporary mixed-media.
She explores themes of childhood, memory, growing up, the modern age, the future, social aspects, relationships, digital culture, and emotion. Her work lives between nostalgia and futurism, innocence and information overload, comfort and unease. She consistently returns to ideas around childhood development and psychological theory while drawing inspiration from artists such as Louise Nevelson, Mike Kelley, and Urs Fischer.
She is also deeply influenced by large-scale, immersive works by Anish Kapoor, Richard Serra, and Walter De Maria. Her practice is shaped equally by other artists, physical spaces, and her own emotional experiences.
Selected Exhibitions & Projects:
Solo Exhibitions
2025 — We Grow Up So Fast, New York
2024 — Reminiscences, Miami
2023 — Solo Art Show, Soho, New York
2023 — Solo Art Show, Miami
2023 — Solo Show, Sagamore Hotel, Miami
2023 — Solo Show, Miami
Group Exhibitions:
2025 — Run, curated by Harif Guzman, Düsseldorf
2025 — toys toys toys, Spielzeug Gallery, New York
2025 — VFA Gallery
2025 — Black and White, self-curated group show, New York
2025 — We Are All Human Charity Gala, New York
2024 — Loft Projects New York Art Pop-Up, Loft Projects, New York
2023 — Nolcha Shows, New York
2023 — Christie’s x UNICEF Auction, Los Angeles
2023 — Spectrum Art Fair, Los Angeles
2023 — Art Expo x Congruent Space, Chicago
2023 — Grand Opening Exhibition, Grand Opening Gallery, Miami
2022 — Group Exhibition, Congruent Space, Design District, Miami
Meaningful Moments:
Joining VFA in 2025 marked a milestone, offering her first experience seeing her work presented within a gallery context. Organizing her group show in New York was equally impactful, serving as a way to honor and thank the community that supported her early on.
Her sculpture Rest, depicting a sleeping baby, remains her most meaningful work. It reminds her of the vulnerability, peace, and beginnings we all share.
She is currently preparing a limited-edition mini sculpture series and is focused on scaling up into immersive installations that transform physical space.
Press & Features:
Whitehot Magazine — “NYC’s JJ Hammond Explains Her Art Practice” by Marcarson
Ocean Drive — “Discover JJ Hammond’s Poignant Exploration of Memory and Identity” by Sophia Lalaounis
Ocean Drive — “A Journey Through Memory Lane” by Caroline Val
Impulse Magazine — Toy Story
ArtCurrently — Inside JJ Hammond’s New York Debut and Curated Show
Collaborations & Charity:
JJ has contributed work to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, We Are All Human, and Gabrielle’s Angels. She hopes to collaborate with brands in the future and create projects that reach beyond the art world.
In Her Words:
“It will all work out in the end’ is something I always tell myself when things get rough. We all have a path, and we’re just in the process of getting to where we’re meant to be. Even when it feels heavy or confusing, I don’t believe anything truly ends on a bad note.”
