We asked a handful of our favourite photographers to look back at 2019 and remember it through the photographs they took. From i-D contributions to personal pictures of friends, family and strangers on the street, this is Hajar Benjida: My Year in Photos.
24-year-old Hajar Benjida only graduated from her BA in photography a couple months ago. But her documentary work — particularly those shot in and around the Atlanta strip club Magic City — have been making waves across the world. “I really see these women as an important part of the Atlanta hip hop scene,” Hajar told us late last year, about her acclaimed series. “By photographing them I wanted to show the other face of Atlanta. Not through the eyes of a man, as is often the case in the hip hop scene, but rather that of a woman.” The Dutch-Moroccan photographer can also be found posting on her finsta, the highly-popular, Young Thug-accredited @youngthugaspaintings.
1.
Photo of my friend Ethereal at his Atlanta home.
2.
Queen. Atlanta, GA.
3.
Outtake of XTC. Atlanta, GA.
4.
iPhone shot of the Magic City locker rooms. Miss Elaine is the house mother of the club and makes the custom outfits for the dancers.
5.
My friend Piera’s graduation. Spelman College, Atlanta, GA.
6.
Mercedes. Atlanta, GA.
7.
Saweetie’s 26th birthday. London, UK.
8.
Dior. Atlanta, GA.
9.
Studio sessions with Young Thug. Miami, FL.
10.
Coy at home. Sandy Springs, GA.
11.
Outtake of the now iconic breastfeeding photo of Cleo and her son Andy, Stone Mountain GA.
12.
Charlene. Atlanta, GA.
Credits
All images courtesy Hajar Benjida