Hajjaj brought his vibrant world to Tacapae through the design of three limited edition bottles. His edition draws inspiration from roadside mile markers, hand-painted oil cans, vibrant kiosks, and bold street signs, which he encountered throughout his journey in Gabès, reinterpreting them in his signature style. 

As an artist, Hassan Hajjaj’s vibrant, boldly colourful portraits express evolving notions of self and society in today’s globalised, hyperconnected world. Photographing his subjects outfitted in fashions of his own design and situated in studios he builds himself, the artist blends, juxtaposes and mirrors the traditional Moroccan motifs of his heritage with contemporary signifiers of global style and consumption. Hajjaj then builds custom frames for the resulting photographs and fills them with a variety of consumer products labelled with Arabic text, each item permutating in a repetitive manner, creating an interplay between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture and mimicking the tiled designs of traditional Islamic architecture.

Tacapae is a cultural project rooted in southern Tunisia, where contemporary art meets centuries-old olive groves. 

Tacapae is a limited-edition olive oil and art project founded by French-Tunisian artist Faouzi Khlifi, known as eL Seed. Born from a desire to reconnect with land, heritage, and craft, it brings together artists, designers, and makers to create collectible objects and experiences rooted in southern Tunisia. At its core is an exceptional olive oil produced in Gabès, home to the world’s only sea oasis. Each edition, ranging from 500 to 1,000 bottles, is reimagined by a different renowned artist, curated by eL Seed and given full creative freedom to design the bottle’s visual identity. Through collaboration and storytelling, Tacapae transforms olive oil into a platform for contemporary art, resulting in bottles meant to be kept, cherished, and enjoyed.

At the heart of Tacapae are collaborations with artists, with three to four new editions released each year. 

These artists are carefully selected by eL Seed, who curates each collaboration. For every edition, a renowned artist is invited to reimagine the Tacapae bottle, whether through its form, its visual identity, or both. Each artist is given complete creative freedom to design the bottle in their own artistic language and create a collectible object.

The process begins in October during the annual Tacapae olive harvest. Artists are invited to Gabès to experience the season, connect with local artisans, and explore the region’s culinary and cultural heritage. Each edition becomes a reflection of this encounter, honoring both the artist’s universe and the legacy of olive oil in southern Tunisia.

Crafting the Bottle

Each Tacapae bottle is shaped in close collaboration with Alfonso Soto Cerámica, a studio based in southern Spain known for its refined, small-batch ceramic work. Together, we develop custom bottle forms that respond to each artist’s design while honoring the functionality and materiality of traditional olive oil vessels. 

Produced using high-quality stoneware ceramic, the bottles meet the highest standards of food safety and environmental responsibility. The material is non-toxic and low in oxidation, helping to preserve the oil’s natural properties over time. Crafted in La Rambla, a village in Andalusia with a long history of olive oil and ceramics, these bottles are both practical and elegant, shaped by centuries of tradition.