Hassan Hajjaj + Acid Arab. My Rock Stars

Philharmonie de Paris

Billie Eilish, Madonna, Rachid Taha, Lee Scratch Perry, Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz, m'alem gnawa Babohot… The Musée de la musique welcomes the musical pantheon of photographer, stylist and visual artist Hassan Hajjaj in an installation that celebrates the diversity of his cultural influences and his freedom of creation. In echo, the group Acid Arab immerses the visitor in a musical alchemy, with an electro creation blending traditional sounds from the Arab world, electronic bass lines and global pulsations. From Larache to London After a childhood in the Moroccan city of Larache, Hassan Hajjaj grew up in London in the 1980s, at the heart of a rebellious, multicultural effervescence set to the rhythm of reggae, dub and hip-hop. From this culture of collage and remix, he developed an uninhibited, self-taught practice of fashion, design and photography. In the manner of the Malian photographers Malick Sidibé and Seydou Keïta, he has his friends pose, sometimes after carefully dressing them, in front of colourful backdrops. Unveiling the artist's personal archives and approach, the exhibition My Rock Stars recounts Hassan Hajjaj's diasporic journey, with music as a vector of communication and emotions. Gnawa Connection From the 1990s onwards, Hassan Hajjaj began working with the gnawa community, immortalising its oldest masters. Born from the encounter of African, Arab and Amazigh heritages, gnawa culture is an ancestral spiritual and musical tradition, now reclaimed as a symbol of diversity and cultural resistance in Morocco. The powerful energy of the gnawa master musicians continues to nourish his work. Through photography, he turns them into figures of a counter-culture, resisting any folklorisation. The image factory: Andy Wahlou Nicknamed "Andy Wahlou" by his friend Rachid Taha, in homage to Andy Warhol and in a play on the Tamazight word walou (nothing at all), Hassan Hajjaj blurs clichés in a collision between the African culture of recuperation and the pop culture of détournement of consumer society objects. The construction of the frame in his photographs plays with traditional architectural elements, notably the moucharabieh. Hassan Hajjaj has developed a genuine protocol in preparing his "Rock Stars": glasses, socks, hats, accessories, but also custom-made clothing. The photo sessions, often shot in natural light, are generally accompanied by real music concerts, like a festive ritual session. The display extends into the permanent collection, where objects and works by Hassan Hajjaj collide with the Museum's instruments in a joyfully irreverent approach. Sound and visual synergies A pioneer of oriental electro in France, the group Acid Arab has created an original piece of music to accompany the exhibition and extend its energy. Blending ancestral rhythms, techno pulsations, punk energy, disco and rap, their sound creation celebrates the musical heritages of North Africa and the Middle East.

Source: Paris Open Data ↗