X- Rated#1, 2017 © Mous Lamrabat/ Loft Art Gallery

Written by Ashley Mercado

Photo Edited by Tania Flores

Copy Edited by Erin Pedigo

Self-taught photographer Mous Lamrabat premiered his exhibition Blessings from Mousganistan at Amsterdam’s Foam Art Festival. His collection of images brings you into the “world of Mous Lamrabat,” filled with perfect positioning of subject and scenery, vibrant color, and creative subversion of popular culture. Lamrabat’s images please the eye but also deliver sociological messages.

Thé à la Swag, 2018 © Mous Lamrabat/ Loft Art Gallery

For instance, in the photograph, Thé à la Swag, a woman modestly dressed in a niqab and abaya remakes the 2014 cover photograph of Kim Kardashian for Paper Magazine titled Break the Internet, Kim Kardashian. In the remake photo, the woman in Islamic religious clothing mimics Kardashian’s pose, bending down as she holds a teapot that is spraying water over her into a cup balanced on her buttocks. There can be many takeaways on what this represents; one is that Thé à la Swag can be a social commentary on modesty. Kim Kardashian’s career, and the 2014 Paper Magazine cover where she “broke the internet” by showing her bare buttocks, prove that sex sells. Religious modest clothing, however, not so much. The shock factor in Lamrabat’s image is the woman’s provocative position. Whether it’s Kim Kardashian or a woman covered up from head to toe, it doesn’t matter—people will surely talk about sexual or provocative things. As I analyze Thé à la Swag, I ask if society hyperfixates on sex because of mass media.

Warning, 2021 © Mous Lamrabat/ Loft Art Gallery

In the image Warning, two Black boys in beaded headgear are in a desert, directly facing the camera. One boy’s shirt reads “Stop Terrorising Our World '' while the other boy’s shirt reads “Warning Explicit Beauty.” Lambarat, who experienced racism growing up in Belgium due to being North African and Muslim, strives to voice acceptance in his art, integrating into it issues such as racism, gender, and religion. In the world of Mous Lamrabat, love, peace and acceptance are the only things that exist in this utopic exhibition. Racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and misogyny can make it impossible for people who society deems underprivileged to live free from feeling unsafe. Showing two dark-skinned Black boys at the forefront of these images and having the words “Warning Explicit Beauty” on one of the boy's shirts shows how in this utopia, Blackness is more than accepted; it is deemed incredibly beautiful.

Slow it down, 2017 © Mous Lamrabat/ Loft Art Gallery

For Lamrabat, traditional Muslim clothing is a common theme, with his subjects often donning niqabs, abayas, and kaftan robes. Lamrabat’s photos mirror his own life and upbringing, but he isn’t afraid to pair traditional with unconventional; Lamrabat integrates vibrant colors and western branding. In Slow it Down, a man’s white kaftan robe is emblazoned with the Nike swoosh.

Mashallah with extra cheeese, 2021 © Mous Lamrabat/ Loft Art Gallery

In Mashallah with Extra Cheese, a woman wears an earring whose letter-M shape resembles the M belonging to the McDonald's franchise. But both the Nike swoosh and the M in these photos are shaped differently than the trademarks. In Luv Riders, a woman’s niqab and abaya have all-over red heart print.