In ‘Dar el Bacha 1447’, the artist offers a vibrant meditation on memory, identity and Moroccan pop aesthetics.
Hassan Hajjaj, Untilted resine E, 2024/1446. Mixed media collage (paper, resin, metallic lambda print). Frame: Wood sprayed white, 107.7 x 54.3 x 4.5 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
The Musée des Confluences: Dar El Bacha in Marrakech presents ‘Dar el Bacha 1447’, a solo exhibition by Hassan Hajjaj. Taking its title from the current Islamic year, the exhibition proposes a cultural and spiritual counter-time — a parallel rhythm to the Western calendar that frames both the work and the world through a different lens.
Spanning over two decades of artistic practice, the exhibition brings together portraits, test strips, studio fragments and overlooked materials. In Hajjaj’s hands, the discarded becomes central; the unfinished, celebrated. His vivid visual language — grounded in Moroccan craftsmanship, street culture and global pop iconography — constructs a living archive that blurs the lines between personal memory and collective aesthetics.
Set against the architectural splendour of Dar El Bacha, with its intricate zellij tilework and carved cedar ceilings, ‘Dar el Bacha 1447’ takes on the quality of a manifesto. It reflects Hajjaj’s dual identity between London and Marrakech, as well as his enduring commitment to process, experimentation, and creative hybridity.
Born in Larache, Morocco, in 1961 and based in London since his teenage years, Hajjaj is known for his iconoclastic approach and maximalist portraits. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The National Foundation of Museums and Hassan Hajjaj organises the exhibition. It opened on the 24th of May and runs until 12 October 2025. For more information, please visit the National Foundation of Museums.
