Marrakech – Dar el Bacha 1447 happens. And no, it’s not a dream—it’s Hassan Hajjaj’s newest exhibition, now on show at the Musée des Confluences Dar el Bacha in Marrakech from May 24 to October 12.

Think vintage souk meets hip-hop video meets a visual love letter to dual identity, all staged in one of the city’s most iconic spaces.

The cultural shapeshifter

Let’s be honest: Hajjaj is not your typical artist. Born in Larache and based in London since his teens, he’s the kind of cultural shapeshifter who turns a can of harissa into a design statement and a rapper into a regal muse.

His world is loud, joyful, chaotic in the best way — and this exhibition is a full immersion into that world.

“Dar el Bacha 1447” takes its name from the current Islamic year, a deliberate nod to time outside of the Western calendar. It’s a reminder that there’s more than one way to count the days — and more than one rhythm to live by. In a time where everything moves at the speed of the scroll, Hajjaj’s work urges us to breathe, reflect, and maybe even laugh.

Weaving past and present

This show is a conversation between past and present, tradition and disruption, Morocco and everywhere else.

And in true Hajjaj style, it’s curated not with silence and white walls, but with a technicolor explosion of pop references, bold patterns, and street-couture attitude.

Among the many standout moments are portraits of Moroccan rap stars like Dizzy DROS and Draganov, reimagined through Hajjaj’s playful, defiant aesthetic.

They don’t just appear in the exhibition — they become icons within it. Wrapped in patterned textiles and set against backdrops pulsing with cultural references, they look like superheroes of the Medina.

And just when you thought the opening couldn’t get any more electric, rapper Komy made a surprise appearance, blending into the crowd of guests like a living extension of the art itself.

A rapper walking into a museum isn’t a punchline here — it’s the point.

This is a show where the lines between art, music, and identity blur beautifully.

Capturing the unexpressed magic

Each piece is assembled in what Hajjaj calls a “visual grammar” — a language built from bold colors, pop symbols, everyday objects, and a deep love for Moroccan artisan traditions.

There’s street art, there’s fashion, there are references to friendship, memory, and the kind of cultural layering you can’t fake.

Rather than present perfection, Hajjaj chooses to spotlight the unfinished. The in-betweens. The moments we usually edit out. That’s where the magic is, he suggests — and in “Dar el Bacha 1447,” that magic is on full display.

Organized by the Fondation Nationale des Musées in collaboration with Hajaj, the exhibition runs until October 12, 2025.

Whether you’re a street-style enthusiast, an art lover with a passport full of stamps, or just someone who finds beauty in the unexpected, Dar el Bacha 1447 will speak to you. It’s a show that doesn’t just hang on walls — it dances, flirts, and challenges you to see the world sideways.

Consider this your official invitation to step into Hassan Hajjaj’s world — and maybe never see yours the same way again.