Atlanta Made Us Famous by Hajar Benjida at Foam

Foam presents Atlanta Made Us Famous, the first museum solo exhibition by Foam Talent alumna Hajar Benjida.

Overview

The exhibition focusses on Magic City, an influential strip club in Atlanta that serves as a cultural epicenter where hip-hop culture and entertainment converge. This exhibition, Benjida pays tribute to the women behind Atlanta’s influential hip-hop scene—a city she considers pivotal in shaping the global sound of the genre. They act as the unofficial gatekeepers of the community.

Benjida's intimate portraits showcase successful women who have built their economic independence by investing in real estate and their own businesses. Through her long-term engagement with the community, she created a series that looks beyond stereotypes and highlights strong social networks between generations. From backstage moments to domestic scenes, the exhibition celebrates the versatility of these women who chart their own path within Atlanta's hip-hop culture.

About The Artist

Hajar Benjida is a Moroccan-Dutch photographer and visual artist based in New York. Her personal work takes an intimate and documentary approach, from photographing some of today’s biggest names in hip-hop to capturing the strip club scene in Atlanta and its impact on the music industry and narratives around women and the agency of their bodies.

Hajar graduated from HKU University of the Arts Utrecht in 2019 with a BA in photography. Her debut exhibition was held at Art Basel at Scope Art Fair Miami 2018 with her project Young Thug as Paintings, made in collaboration with Young Thug himself. She was the recipient of LensCulture’s 2019 Emerging Talent Award and her project, Atlanta Made Us Famous was selected by Unseen as one of nine outstanding graduation projects of 2019, Foam Talent 2021 and the BJP International Photography Award 2022. Hajar's accomplishments also put her on the list of Forbes 30 under 30 Arts & Culture Europe 2022.