If you haven’t noticed, Islamic fashion is having a revival. The hijab, the niqab, the jalabiyya; they’re all emblems of Muslim style, but often times they are reduced to mere symbols––or worse, the common gender stereotypes we hear about the Middle East.
Hassan Hajjaj, a Moroccan-born, London-based artist, addresses this issue of representation in Kesh Angels, which opened last night to a packed audience at Taymour Grahne Gallery, a new Tribeca space founded by the prominent art collector and creator of the Art of the Middle East blog. Hajjaj’s portraits of female bikers in Marrakech in the latest hybrid street style (bootleg Chanel and Louis Vuitton abayas) challenge traditional notions about Muslim women. He uses his friends and willing participants as models, and the images he creates with them are more fearless than oppressed. Building on the work of African studio photographers like Malian artist and Agnès b. protégé Malick Sidibé, Hajjaj celebrates popular culture in North Africa using global consumer brands and foods (Puck spreadable cheese, Arabic Mountain Dew) to adorn the frames of his striking photographs.
Kesh Angels, Hajjaj's first solo show in New York, is on view through March 8th.
TAYMOUR GRAHNE GALLERY
157 Hudson St.
New York, NY 10013
MAP
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Khadija, 2010/1431, Metallic Lambda Print On 3mm White Dibond, Edition of 7, 53.5h x 36.77w in (135.9h x 93.4w) cm / Courtesy of Hassan Hajjaj and Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York, NY
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Nisrin, 2010/1431, Metallic Lambda Print On 3mm White Dibond, Edition of 7, 53.5h x 36.77w in (135.9h x 93.4w) cm / Courtesy of Hassan Hajjaj and Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York, NY![]()
Camo & Dots, Metallic Lambda Print On 3mm White Dibond, Edition of 7, 2001/1422, 52.36h x 36.93w in (132.99h x 93.8w cm) / Courtesy of Hassan Hajjaj and Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York, NY![]()
M., Edition of 7, 2010/1431, Metallic Lambda Print On 3mm White Dibond, Edition of 7, 52.36h x 36.85w in (133h x 93.6w cm) / Courtesy of Hassan Hajjaj and Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York, NY
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Taymour Grahne Gallery’s Opening of Hassan Hajjaj: ‘Kesh Angels. January 28, 2014. Image credit: Photo by Scott Rudd![]()
Taymour Grahne Gallery’s Opening of Hassan Hajjaj: ‘Kesh Angels. January 28, 2014. Image credit: Photo by Scott Rudd![]()
Taymour Grahne Gallery’s Opening of Hassan Hajjaj: ‘Kesh Angels. January 28, 2014. Image credit: Photo by Scott Rudd
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Taymour Grahne Gallery’s Opening of Hassan Hajjaj: ‘Kesh Angels. January 28, 2014. Image credit: Photo by Scott Rudd
![]()
Hassan Hajjaj, a Moroccan-born, London-based artist, addresses this issue of representation in Kesh Angels, which opened last night to a packed audience at Taymour Grahne Gallery, a new Tribeca space founded by the prominent art collector and creator of the Art of the Middle East blog. Hajjaj’s portraits of female bikers in Marrakech in the latest hybrid street style (bootleg Chanel and Louis Vuitton abayas) challenge traditional notions about Muslim women. He uses his friends and willing participants as models, and the images he creates with them are more fearless than oppressed. Building on the work of African studio photographers like Malian artist and Agnès b. protégé Malick Sidibé, Hajjaj celebrates popular culture in North Africa using global consumer brands and foods (Puck spreadable cheese, Arabic Mountain Dew) to adorn the frames of his striking photographs.
Kesh Angels, Hajjaj's first solo show in New York, is on view through March 8th.
TAYMOUR GRAHNE GALLERY
157 Hudson St.
New York, NY 10013
MAP
Khadija, 2010/1431, Metallic Lambda Print On 3mm White Dibond, Edition of 7, 53.5h x 36.77w in (135.9h x 93.4w) cm / Courtesy of Hassan Hajjaj and Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York, NY
Nisrin, 2010/1431, Metallic Lambda Print On 3mm White Dibond, Edition of 7, 53.5h x 36.77w in (135.9h x 93.4w) cm / Courtesy of Hassan Hajjaj and Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York, NY
Camo & Dots, Metallic Lambda Print On 3mm White Dibond, Edition of 7, 2001/1422, 52.36h x 36.93w in (132.99h x 93.8w cm) / Courtesy of Hassan Hajjaj and Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York, NY
M., Edition of 7, 2010/1431, Metallic Lambda Print On 3mm White Dibond, Edition of 7, 52.36h x 36.85w in (133h x 93.6w cm) / Courtesy of Hassan Hajjaj and Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York, NY
Taymour Grahne Gallery’s Opening of Hassan Hajjaj: ‘Kesh Angels. January 28, 2014. Image credit: Photo by Scott Rudd
Taymour Grahne Gallery’s Opening of Hassan Hajjaj: ‘Kesh Angels. January 28, 2014. Image credit: Photo by Scott Rudd
Taymour Grahne Gallery’s Opening of Hassan Hajjaj: ‘Kesh Angels. January 28, 2014. Image credit: Photo by Scott Rudd
Taymour Grahne Gallery’s Opening of Hassan Hajjaj: ‘Kesh Angels. January 28, 2014. Image credit: Photo by Scott Rudd
