The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2021 - Issue 29

biteart MY ROCKSTARS E xplosively colourful, vibrant, and subjective with vivid back- grounds, branded logos and objects decorated around the edges of the frames, photographer, designer, filmmaker, and contem- porary artist Hassan Hajjaj projects his chosen subjects to onlookers admiring his work. Born in Larache, Morocco, the artist dubbed the ‘Andy Warhol of Marrakesh’ by a journalist, moved to London when he was 13 and now lives and works between the two cities. This self-taught phenomenon is inspired by a combination of London’s hip hop and reggae scenes and his North African heritage. His diverse practice includes portraiture, installation, performance, fashion and furniture designs. It is perhaps thanks to his photography work started in the late 1980s and influenced by pop art, fashion, and the late Ma- lian photographer Malick Sidibé's studio work that awarded him the 'Andy Warhol' nickname. On his move to the UK, Hassan told Universes in Universe , “It was a great time to be in London as a young person because there was so much going on musically and visually. I got involved in so many scenes and absorbed everything I could, from fashion to underground music clubs. I worked as an assistant stylist, got to travel, worked on music videos, and met and worked with some really great people. At the same time, I never let go of my love for Morocco, whose sights, sounds and energy inspired me then and inspire me now.” Hassan is an artist that represents his culture in everything he does. Living in London, he noticed Portobello Road and Camden Market paralleled the hustle and bustle of the Moroccan medina; “Morocco in the ‘70s and ‘80s was not perceived as a cool place,” he told Vogue Ara- bia. “It was limited to the Sahara, mint tea and kaftans.” He also dipped into fashion, films and clubs and opened a clothing store in Covent Garden called RAP (Real Artistic People), where everyone, regardless of their background, is welcome. In his art series, Kesh Angels, Hassan captured the unique street culture of young female bikers in Marrakesh. To conflate Western perceptions of Arabic society, the artist used fashion photography to produce por- traits of figures colourfully dressed in North African garb. “My work started because I wanted to show another side of Moroccan culture, something more than that, and the imagery that they’d understand in the same way,” he explained. With issues like consumerism, equality and feminism, Hassan revealed the reason behind this work. “I wanted to present a different inter- pretation of strong Arab women. Through my work, I highlight the contradictions of image, stereotypes and branding by juxtaposing the iconography of contemporary culture and consumerism with classical references. I include, and contrast visual elements of both Islamic and European culture into what I hope is an unexpectedly rich and seduc- tive environment for the viewer.”