Many of us can remember the awkwardness of high school, when image meant everything and believing that having the latest offerings from the coolest brands was a sure fire way to becoming cool.
This concept has been the crux of Mous Lamrabat’s work, and it has taken him far.
After an incredibly successful exhibition at MAQAM in Amsterdam-West, an extension of his previous show at Foam, the critically acclaimed Moroccan artist and photographer has released his first book.
Mousganistan celebrates love and freedom by deconstructing stereotypes and telling personal anecdotes. It is a celebration of the place between cultures, where opposites collide and stereotypes are rife, using visual storytelling to bridge the gap and spark new dialogues.
Labrabat has transitioned from co–oping huge global brands into his photography, to being commissioned to shoot official campaigns for companies like WhatsApp, and has had his work appear on the cover of Vogue and Esquire, including a profile by GQ.
His debut published work spans 15 years of work and is self–dubbed:
“Mous Lamrabat’s utopia of multiculturalism and unconditional belonging.”
Speaking to CNN Style Lamrabat said:
“As a kid, you just want to belong,” he remembered. So the teenager took a hat his father wore to mosque and embroidered it with a Nike swoosh. With needle and thread and a logo born 5,000 miles away, the people’s republic of Mousganistan was founded.”
Subverting well–known branding, Lamrabat melds Western consumerism iconography, with people and places from Africa and the Middle East. His photographs fuses together the overt garish mainstream branding with fine art.
This includes the McDonald’s logo imprinted on a woman's hands in henna, Prada eye patches on a person wearing a Kufi (Muslim skullcap), and niqabs that look like Lakers and Bulls jerseys.
“What Mousganistan is, is a big construction of bridges,” he said to CNN, “I would love to keep doing that, because I truly feel that if we focus on the things that we have in common instead of the differences, it can bring a lot of people closer together.”
“Mousganistan” is available to buy now from Amazon.
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