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Lot 71

Hassan Hajjaj
(Morocco, born 1961)
Ahmed Lighting Up

26 April 2017, 15:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

£3,000 - £5,000

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Hassan Hajjaj (Morocco, born 1961)

Ahmed Lighting Up
digital c-print with tire frame
signed "Hassan Hajjaj" in Arabic and English, dated "2000" and titled "Ahmed Lighting Up" on the verso, number 2 from an edition of 7, executed in 2000
94 x 62cm (37 x 24 7/16in).

Footnotes

Provenance:
Property from a private collection, Brussels

The two portraits presented to you capture two extremely unique aesthetics. In Bouchra in Da Derb, El derb meaning the block in Moroccan dialect, Bouchra is shot between the red walls of one of the narrow mystical streets of the Medina beautifully draped in a blue faux Louis Vuitton garment over her djellaba and wearing a pair of stripy white and blue baboosh on her feet. Evoking Moroccan street fashion and the glossy glamour of a contemporary high fashion shoot, the image masterfully subverts preconceived notions of the submissive Arabic women, as she appears fearless, modern and defiant through her dress, pose, female gaze and joyful spirit.

The other striking photograph titled Ahmed Lighting Up is a close up candid shot of a traditional Moroccan man lighting a cigarette. Here, Hajjaj focuses on Moroccan male iconography, commercial branding and the smoking habits of Moroccan men. He constructs this composition by focusing on key features, the fez, which is the traditional Moroccan headwear, the djellaba costume and the Arabic branding on the matchstick box. Both of these photographs are taken in an everyday setting with no artificial backdrops. The two works capture a glimpse of the different male and female identities found in the heart of the medina.

Additional information

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