People of My Time: Hassan Hajjaj’s Latest Exhibition Centers Community and Friendship

What do Bruno Mars, Iman Hammam, Afrikan Boy, and Che Lovelace have in common?

They all had the honor of stepping in front of Hassan Hajjaj's lens at some point between 2000 and 2022. Styled by the renowned Moroccan photographer, their portraits burst with colors and patterns, mixing vibrant clothes and statement accessories with traditional culture and pop iconography.

Until March 29, 2025, Hajjaj is exhibiting People of My Time atHannah Traore Gallery in New York City, offering an intimate view of his friends and collaborators. Unlike the large works he usually exhibits, these are the small-scale prints he has collected for practical purposes throughout his career.

This showcase is the latest project in a decade-long creative friendship between Hajjaj and Hannah Traore. Traore, a Canadian Malian curator and one of the youngest gallery owners in NYC, came across Hajjaj's photography when she was an art history student. "I was initially drawn to how dynamic [his images] were," she tells OkayAfrica. "Very much a color version of Malick Sidibé, one of my favorite photographers."

For her senior thesis, Traore curated an exhibition dedicated to Sidibé's conceptual and aesthetic impact on contemporary African and Black artists. She invited Hajjaj to participate in the show, and he ended up designing the exhibition space.

"That was the beginning of our relationship, which is funny because the show was not about Hassan," she recalls. "But it kind of became about Hassan because he was so generous with his time. As a senior in college, interviewing one of [my] favorite artists was pretty surreal and life-changing. I feel like that show is why I got every job I ever got."

After becoming the ainting and sculpture curatorial intern at the Museum of Modern Art and later serving as project manager to Isolde Brielmaier, Traore opened her eponymous gallery at 27. "I'm interested in work I've never seen before," she says. "There's so much sameness in the art world, so I get really excited when I see someone doing something a little different or very true to them."

Traore reached out to Hajjaj for the gallery's initial installation; he agreed to join on the condition that he could bring Moroccan photographers. "Hannah's the new generation, and I'm proud of her. To see somebody that young take a risk, especially because the galleries are having hard times," says Hajjaj. "So I wanted to support her. She believed in my work but also has an audience I don't tap into."

Building this audience and navigating the arts world by forcing people to respect her despite her age has been challenging for Traore. "The reason I am able to do this is because of this lineage of amazing Black women who came before me, many of whom have been supportive," she says. "Many of the women I respect scare me a bit, not because they're mean, but because they're so powerful and intimidating."

Traore has learned that people will respect those who lead with integrity, and to disengage from those who do not respect her. She stresses the importance of mentorship, peers and growing alongside the artists she showcases in her gallery. Her relationship with Hajjaj, widely considered thegodfather of the Moroccan art scene and for people of color beyond, is a testament to this.

"The premise of my thesis was that Sidibé was one of the first to photograph his people right after Mali became independent. It's interesting to see the dynamic between sitter and photographer," says Traore. "With Hassan, the people he photographs are his friends or people who are excited and willing to be there, and it changes the photograph."

Captured in the streets of London, Paris, Marrakech, and New York, People of My Time showcases Hajjaj's global tribe. Beyond his eclectic village, the artist places importance on showcasing a diversity in which viewers can see themselves, connect with and find inspiration.

Traore shares this ethos in her gallery, which exclusively works with marginalized artists. "Representing artists from diverse backgrounds has become a trend, but many galleries do it in a performative way," she says. "It's important that my artists are not being tokenized, but seen by me, and not because of their identity."

The theme of connection extends further than the photographs to plastic mats, which Hajjaj collects on his travels and uses for his shoots before resizing them to fit as frames. He considers them a contemporary form of the frames that adorn and protect old paintings.

"The frame is the body of the work," he says. "My uncle used to make those plastic mats when I was a kid. It [brings] an artisan vibe that has a human touch. You can see it and almost feel its texture."

Taking it one step further, Hajjaj invites people to mingle in a tea room corner inspired by Jajjah, his tearoom, and gallery space in Marrakech at the back of the gallery. "People often come and sit for hours," says Traore. "[They] just use it as their meeting space or hanging out room, which I love."

Hajjaj is an influential and formidable artist with an impressive career. Traore does not take his decision to showcase People of My Time at her gallery lightly. "He knows his power, and he uses it truly with generosity," she says.