In his work, Hassan Hajjaj playfully applies the nu-technologies to redefine he imagery that pervaded his childhood, from match boxes and paint cans to 'Coca-Cola' ads.
From the Fez to the camel, he takes on the European stereotypes of North African world and turns them into a visual celebration. His large canvasses sit comfortably in the post modern European art world. Restaurateur Mourad Mazouz, Fashion entrepreneur Joseph, Blur (who incidentally used Hassan's graphics for their official website) singer Damon Albarn and the Morrocan Consulate in London have all acquired some of Hassan's pieces.
Hassan Hajjaj has discovered that nobody had documented the street level graphic art of his native land. It set him off on a mission to elevate and educate people to the funky visual art of the souk with a twist. Having arrived in London from Larache in Morroco in his teens, he grew up amid the emerging club culture of London, UK, absorbing the music and styles of the reggae, hip hop and world music. Hassan his visual sensibilities as he entered the world of art and fashion. After running clubs and managing up and coming bands, he decided in 1984 to forge a solid relationship with the New York scene and subsequently the same year launched his own clothing & accessories label RAP.
A restless spirit, Hassan has chosen his imagery intuitively and ingeniously. The concepts he employs are seductively witty and playful while having a serious edge. Clearly a child of the pop art generation - his working methods encompass so man techniques and fields - he engages personally & intensively in the time consuming process of designing and producing furniture (tables, lamps, stools, poufs), clothes (from customised patrol attendants overalls to babouches, from funky-ed djellabahs to hats), photography (the youth of the medina a never ending source of inspiration, as well as photo-reportages commissioned by several magazines) and , last but not least, painting and printed canvas (always in a limited numbered edition). The concept remains the same, only the medium changes. All is expertly crafted and the dishes out colourful humour.
http://www.hassan-hajjaj.com/
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