An Interview With One of the Young Pioneers of Contemporary Parisian Guerilla Art: Princess Hijab
After my first post on on 21 yr old Parisian guerilla artist Princess Hijab, the artist who wanted to “hijabize advertising”, which has gotten more views than any other article on Velocity Blog, I was very interested in hearing more from the artist herself on why she first decided to create the controversial, fascinating art pieces she dissemates and produces around downtown Paris.
As a result, I asked the artist three questions regarding her sense of ‘Self’. Here are Princess Hijab’s answers to my questions.
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(1)
VELOCITY blog:
Why do you choose to keep your identity hidden?
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PRINCESS HIJAB:
I’m a recluse, just like the woman in Grey Gardens. I’ve always like personalities who keep their mystery to themselves, their secrets to themselves, who make people come to them, and not the other way around. We live in a world where there are already lots and lots of faces; I don’t want to impose some umpteenth face on a stamp, or a family portrait. But I do exist.
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(2)
VELOCITY blog:
Do you take inspiration from any other popular artists worldwide who also hide their identities such as Banksy, the Guerilla Girls, Burial, etc… or would you prefer to place yourself apart from them?
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PRINCESS HIJAB:
I’m pretty sure all guerilla artists are compared to banksky. I don’t think I’ve ever been directly influenced by his work. I like amateur things that are a little messy, like badly done tags. The guerilla girls invented something completely new with Shameless Self-Promotion, but I don’t think we’re still in that moment. They’re too old.
But Burial, Burial I like. What Burial did in his debut is really poetic. Staying hidden to advance his music I find that almost pretty, definitely Utopian. But again, I wasn’t influenced by them; they were never direct points of reference for me. My work is very personal.
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(3)
VELOCITY blog:
On your website you talk about what drew you to do this work, but are there any other influences you have on the art that you do, personal inspirations or people you’d like to credit?
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PRINCESS HIJAB:
There is a book, No Logo, which sparked it all. There is also something personal. I’ve been personally nauseated with institutions since I was young. I failed out of all my private schools. In French, there’s have an expression which translates clumsily as “I must kill my father.” It’s a rite of assertion. This is what I’ve done, but I don’t know if I’m done yet.
I’m also inspired by strong female archetypes: hijabi-girl the woman-soldier, warriorgrrl, girl with guns, the Vampiress, Typhoid Mary etc. There’s no real place for the representaion of men in my world.
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It is always fascinating to hear how a young artist or revolutionary views herself; Princess Hijab’s strong sense of ‘self’ and of her own placement in traditions of opposition which have come before her are an asset to our generation, and this blog thanks her for her honest and up-front answers.
—Kat
check out her site again here: Salaam Princess
