Billie Eilish, Madonna, Rachid Taha, Lee Scratch Perry, Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz, m’alem gnawa Babohot… The Musée de la musique hosts photographer, stylist, and visual artist Hassan Hajjaj’s musical pantheon in an installation that celebrates the diversity of his cultural influences and creative freedom. In keeping with this theme, the group Acid Arab immerses visitors in a musical alchemy, with an electronic creation blending traditional sounds from the Arab world, electronic basslines, and global beats.

From Larache to London

After spending his childhood in the Moroccan city of Larache, Hassan Hajjaj grew up in London in the 1980s, in the midst of a vibrant, multicultural, protest-driven scene set to the rhythms of reggae, dub, and hip-hop. From this culture of collage and remixing, he developed an uninhibited approach to fashion, design, and photography, which he taught himself. Following in the footsteps of Malian photographers Malick Sidibé and Seydou Keïta, he has his friends—whom he sometimes takes care to dress—pose in front of colorful backdrops. By unveiling the artist’s personal archives and creative process, the exhibition My Rock Stars traces Hassan Hajjaj’s journey as a member of the diaspora, with music serving as a vehicle for communication and emotion.

Hassan Hajjaj « My Rock Stars » © Joachim Bertrand

Gnawa connection

In the early 1990s, Hassan Hajjaj began working with the Gnawa community, capturing its oldest masters on film. Born from the convergence of African, Arab, and Amazigh heritages, Gnawa culture is an ancestral spiritual and musical tradition that has now been reclaimed as a symbol of diversity and cultural resistance in Morocco. The powerful energy of the Gnawa master musicians continues to inspire his work. Through photography, he portrays them as figures of a counterculture, in stark contrast to any form of folklorization.

The Making of Images: Andy Wahlou

Nicknamed “Andy Wahlou” by his friend Rachid Taha—a tribute to Andy Warhol and a play on the Tamazight word *walou* (nothing at all)—Hassan Hajjaj blurs clichés through a collision between the African culture of repurposing and the pop culture of appropriating objects from consumer society. The composition of his photographs plays with traditional architectural elements, particularly the mashrabiya. Hassan Hajjaj has developed a detailed protocol for preparing his “Rock Stars”: sunglasses, socks, hats, accessories, and even custom-made clothing. The photo shoots, often shot in natural light, are usually accompanied by live music performances, making them feel like a festive ritual. The exhibition continues into the permanent collection, where objects and works by Hassan Hajjaj clash with the museum’s instruments in a joyfully irreverent manner.

Hassan Hajjaj « My Rock Stars » © Joachim Bertrand

Auditory and Visual Synergies

As pioneers of Eastern-inspired electronic music in France, the group Acid Arab has created an original soundtrack to accompany the exhibition and extend its energy. Blending ancestral rhythms, techno beats, punk energy, disco, and rap, their musical creation celebrates the musical heritages of North Africa and the Middle East. 

Curators: Marion Challier and Inès Geoffroy