Met Gala 2026: Dubai-based Palestinian artist brings her work to Costume Institute exhibition
Before celebrities stepped onto the red carpet at the Met Gala, a Dubai-based Palestinian artist was already quietly shaping one of the night’s biggest cultural showcases from inside the exhibition itself.
Visual artist Samar Hejazi contributed sculptural mannequin heads for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute exhibition accompanying this year’s gala.
In a video shared by Vogue Arabia, Hejazi introduced herself by saying, “Hi, this is Samar Hejazi. I’m a Palestinian based in Dubai. I’m currently at the Costume exhibition.”
The artist said she was approached by Andrew Bolton, curator and head of the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, who emailed her about contributing to the exhibition.
“When I got the email from Andrew Bolton asking me to create mannequin heads for the Costume Institute exhibition, I was really surprised and very, very excited,” she said.
One of the sculptural mannequin pieces created by Dubai-based Palestinian artist Samar Hejazi.
Hejazi added that the moment felt especially meaningful because her work has long been rooted in identity and heritage.
“I couldn’t believe that a piece that I had done 10 years ago was going to lead to a moment like this,” she said. “My work has always been rooted in identity.”
She also described the significance of participating in the exhibition as a Palestinian artist.
“It means a lot to be the first Palestinian artist to work with the Met in this way, but more importantly, I hope it inspires other creatives to continue working and continue making because we really don’t know where it’s going to lead.”
Instead of using traditional mannequin faces, Hejazi replaced them with reflective mirrored surfaces, turning visitors themselves into part of the exhibition experience. As viewers approached the sculptural forms, they were met with their own reflections staring back at them.
“Every single person who walked through that exhibition became part of it,” one video describing the work said.
According to reports, Hejazi also chose to spotlight regional fashion talent during the event. She wore a design by Dubai-based fashion designer Zaid Farouki, creating a collaboration between two creatives based in the emirate on one of fashion’s biggest global stages.
Fashion sketch of the gown designed by Dubai-based designer Zaid Farouki and worn by artist Samar Hejazi during the Met Gala 2026 event.
The Dubai-based artist, whose work has previously been showcased at Aisha Alabbar Gallery, also spoke about the creative process behind her “In Circulation” series.
She explained that instead of relying solely on traditional Palestinian tatreez embroidery, she began exploring how museums and archives preserve identity through symbols and objects.
“I wanted to start creating motifs as opposed to using tatreez to use historical symbols that are very well known,” she said in the interview. “I started to realise that the archives, or what we archive, is actually very reflective of identity and what it chooses to preserve.”
Hejazi’s contribution comes as the Costume Institute exhibition once again draws global attention around the Met Gala, blending art, fashion and cultural storytelling inside one of the world’s most watched museum spaces.
