Lot 71: HASSAN HAJJAJ (MOROCCO, BORN 1961) Ahmed Lighting Up digital c-print

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).

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.