Hassan Hajjaj
Vogue, The Arab Issue
Hassan Hajjaj’s colourful, vibrant and dynamic exhibition showcases his unique photographic series and is both a slightly ironic reference to the monthly fashion bible and a critique of other cultural clichés. Frustrated with the way that the Moroccan is used as a beautiful backdrop for Western fashion photography, Hajjaj wanted to create his own fashion series to challenge stereotypes and highlight the unusual and complex personalities of his own friends and acquaintances from Morocco. To create his work, Hajjaj dresses his subjects in local Moroccan clothing designs and often presents them in unusual and striking frames made from found materials such as bicycle hubs or tin cans with Arabic logos.
The self-trained artist’s photographs, installations, pop fashion, interior design or furniture made from recycled artefacts from Morocco all share a certain hip-hop and reggae rhythmicity. Hajjaj’s art is full of vibrant colours, patterns, energy, rhythm and bright ideas. His work is a fusion of contemporary London and all kinds of Moroccan materials, and you can tell straight away that this is the work of an artist Hassan Hajjaj.
“What I appreciate about learning to be an artist on my own is the never-ending spirit of experimentation and the opportunity to make mistakes without worrying about my reputation. Above all, I'm inspired by the desire to move people and start discussions. I may not always have all the answers, but in an ever-changing culture, you have to ask questions to keep people thinking.”