At Jean Paul Gaultier’s historic Paris Maison, the scent of Le Male isn’t the only thing lingering in the air. From June 12 to 15, Palestinian pop artist and provocateur Bashar Murad is taking up space with a politically charged, fashion-forward audiovisual installation that’s as bold as it is necessary. The immersive show, Et Gaultier créa l’homme – Le Male: Passé, Présent, Futur, marks the 30th anniversary of Gaultier’s cult fragrance, but it also carves out a rare moment of visibility for Palestinian narratives within the heart of European fashion.
Murad’s self-directed music video MASKHARA—a hypnotic blend of satire, pop, and poetic resistance—acts as the grand finale of the exhibition. Set to his own music, the video is a queer, hyper-stylized lens on life under occupation, patriarchy, and global erasure.
In many ways, MASKHARA feels like a full-circle moment for Gaultier, who built his empire on subverting fashion norms. And this isn’t the house’s first meaningful nod to Palestinian identity. Notably, back in 2021, the Parisian maison tapped Palestinian model Qaher Harhash—alongside Bella Hadid—for the maison’s first ready-to-wear campaign since 2014.
Born and raised in Jerusalem, Murad is a singer, songwriter, and filmmaker whose sound blends pop with electronica and traditional modal influences. His lyrics are laced with commentary on gender, nationalism, and freedom. One day he’s performing in a wedding dress; the next, he’s taking second place at Iceland’s Eurovision selections with Wild West. He’s collaborated with Icelandic punk provocateurs Hatari—who famously waved Palestinian scarves at Eurovision in Tel Aviv—and is currently in Paris cooking up his debut album with legendary producer Howie B (of Björk and Massive Attack fame).
In a cultural moment where discussions around Palestine are often reduced to hashtags and dehumanizing statistics, his work reclaims complexity. And what does it mean to see a queer Palestinian artist occupy a literal maison in Paris? To soundtrack a space that once dressed Madonna and fetishized sailor boys? While many luxury houses still shy away from openly supporting Palestinian creatives, Gaultier’s exhibition, intentionally or not, becomes proof that style, like politics, is never neutral.
Fashion has always been a megaphone for the silenced whether through slogan tees or subversive silhouettes. But rarely does it platform voices from the occupied territories, much less those that challenge Western ideas of masculinity, queerness, and power all at once. That’s what makes this moment with Bashar Murad so potent.
The exhibition is free and open to the public, so if you find yourself in Paris this week, head to Rue Saint-Martin.
https://www.etgaultiercrealhomme.com/
Main image photographed by Instagram/@lidiarav_
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