Photos by Hassan Hajjaj
Morocco is an incredibly vibrant and complex place, and a photographer’s dream location to shoot. However, in an age where photography is universal and sometimes intrusive, cities like Marrakech often distrust photographer’s, seeing them as pervasive, and are questioned about the use of their captured images.
Knowing all of this makes the following photo series all the more intriguing. London-based, Moroccan photographer Hassan Hajjaj beautifully captured the bike culture of Marrakech in his latest series titled, Kesh Angels, on display now at the Taymour Grahne Gallery in New York until March 8. In this series, Hajjaj uses some female friends to represent “Moroccan girl bike gangs” to show something particular of Marrakech. In each image the girls are captured with strong, intimidating expressions to convey an edge, while sporting polka dot veils, Nike djellabah and even heart-shaped sunnies. To add even more color, he used products found in local markets to create a border for each picture.
Although there are no real bike gangs in Morocco, these girls are no joke. According to the photographer’s recent interview with Vice, most of these girls speak up to five languages, and are full-time moms who work ten-hour days. What’s even more interesting is that Marrakech is a true bike city, used by most of the locals as a source for transportation to work, and most of the bikes used for this shoot are their very own.
Check out the following photos and see more here.
[Via Vice]
