Hassan Hajjaj and the work power of My Rockstars
Published on 08/29/2026 at 16:23 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Hassan Hajjaj has built one of the most recognizable portrait vocabularies in contemporary art with his long-running My Rockstars series. The work group links North African street culture, pop aesthetics and global music imagery into densely patterned photographic universes, as exhibitions from Venice to Toronto demonstrate.Aga Khan Museum exhibition information
The arc of My Rockstars
Across My Rockstars, Hajjaj stages musicians, DJs, skaters and friends in saturated color, framed by commercial packaging motifs and textiles that recall Marrakech’s souks, creating hybrid identities between advertising and studio portrait photography.Sotheby's editorial on My London Rockstars
The series has evolved over more than a decade, shifting settings from London streets to Venetian canals and Toronto’s parkland, while keeping a consistent focus on self-styled protagonists who occupy the intersection of fashion, music and diasporic culture.
From London to Venice and Toronto
Recent exhibitions such as Venice, 1447 at 193 Gallery’s Venice space have linked My Rockstars to the Hijri calendar, underscoring how Hajjaj threads Islamic timekeeping and European cityscapes into a single visual narrative.
In Toronto, the installation La Salle de Gym des Femmes Arabes (The Arab Women's Gym) at Aga Khan Park extends his portrait logic into a quasi-public gym environment, filled with exercise machines and women in patterned sportswear, active from September 13, 2025 to September 7, 2026.
All news and background on Hassan Hajjaj
Readers who follow Hassan Hajjaj's work groups from My Rockstars to the Arab Women's Gym can find further news, market context and institutional shows in the AD HOC NEWS archive.
The work core and materials
Hajjaj works across photography, installation, fashion and design, frequently printing portraits on metallic lambda paper mounted on rigid supports, then building frames from soft drink crates, food tins or patterned textiles that echo the commercial textures of Moroccan urban life.
Series such as Kesh Angels, My Rockstars and La Salle de Gym des Femmes Arabes form a connected universe in which women on scooters, musicians on makeshift stages and gym-goers perform confident poses against layered graphic backdrops.
Where the artist stands now
Against this backdrop, Hassan Hajjaj's practice currently revolves around extended outdoor and gallery installations of his major series, with no officially announced new opening date falling within the next 30-day window.
Key facts on Hassan Hajjaj
- Artist: Hassan Hajjaj
- Medium / Genre: Photography and installation (portrait-based)
- Born: 1961, Larache, Morocco
- Place(s) of practice: Studios in London and Marrakech
- Active since: Late 1980s, with expanded visibility from the 2000s through exhibitions and music-linked projects
- Key work groups: My Rockstars, Kesh Angels, La Salle de Gym des Femmes Arabes (The Arab Women's Gym), Venice, 1447
- Current/last exhibition: Hassan Hajjaj: La Salle de Gym des Femmes Arabes (The Arab Women's Gym), Aga Khan Park, Toronto, September 13, 2025 - September 7, 2026
- Major collections: Studio Museum in Harlem (New York), Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Brooklyn Museum (New York), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles)
- Awards: Documented recognition includes inclusion in major thematic exhibitions and collection-building projects rather than headline single-artist awards
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about Hassan Hajjaj
Which Hassan Hajjaj series is most closely linked to music and performance?
Hajjaj's My Rockstars series is closely tied to musicians and performers, featuring figures from London’s music and club scenes as well as international artists, often staged like album covers yet framed with everyday commercial materials.
Where has Hassan Hajjaj's work from Kesh Angels and related series entered public collections?
Works such as Romancia from the Kesh Angels series are held by institutions like the Studio Museum in Harlem, building a public record of his portrait practice within African diasporic and contemporary photography contexts.
How does La Salle de Gym des Femmes Arabes fit into Hassan Hajjaj's wider practice?
La Salle de Gym des Femmes Arabes (The Arab Women's Gym) extends his portrait-based language into an outdoor installation that stages Arab women in a gym environment, combining sports culture, fashion and public space in a single photographic series.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
