A Canadian Artist's Work Takes Centre Stage at Fashion's Biggest Night
The Met Gala is known for its jaw-dropping celebrity looks, but this year one of the most talked-about elements wasn't worn by a star — it was created by one. Samar Hejazi, a Palestinian Canadian artist originally from Toronto now based in Dubai, had her mirrored mannequin heads featured at the iconic annual event, putting Canadian artistic talent front and centre at one of the fashion world's most star-studded spectacles.
For Hejazi, the moment was both surreal and deeply meaningful. Speaking with CBC's As It Happens, she described the experience of seeing her work placed among the glittering spectacle of the Met Gala as something she could barely have imagined when she first began crafting her distinctive pieces.
The Work Behind the Mirror
Hejazi's mirrored mannequin heads are immediately arresting — reflective surfaces that fragment and multiply the faces of anyone who looks at them, turning the viewer into part of the art itself. The work plays with ideas of identity, visibility, and representation — themes that carry particular weight given her Palestinian Canadian background.
The mannequins are designed to reflect their surroundings literally and figuratively, raising questions about who gets to be seen and how. At the Met Gala, surrounded by celebrities and fashion elite, that symbolism landed with extra resonance.
From Toronto to Dubai to the Met
Hejazi's journey is itself a story of the global Canadian diaspora. Raised in Toronto, she has built her artistic practice in Dubai, where she continues to develop work that bridges cultures and speaks to the experience of navigating multiple identities. Her presence at the Met Gala — both as an artist whose work graced the event and as an attendee walking the red carpet — marks a significant milestone in a career defined by bold, conceptual work.
"It's one of those moments where you have to pinch yourself," she told CBC, reflecting on what it felt like to attend the event herself after seeing her pieces become part of the night's aesthetic.
A Proud Canadian Moment
For Canadian art lovers, Hejazi's Met Gala spotlight is a reminder of the depth and diversity of talent the country produces. Canada has a long tradition of artists who gain international recognition — from painters to sculptors to multimedia creators — and Hejazi's story adds a contemporary, globally connected chapter to that legacy.
Her work challenges audiences to look closer, to sit with discomfort, and to question whose reflection they see. That the fashion world's most visible annual event chose to incorporate that kind of thoughtful, conceptual Canadian art feels like a win not just for Hejazi, but for the broader conversation about representation in high-profile cultural spaces.
Keep an eye on Samar Hejazi — this is clearly just the beginning of a career that's destined to keep reflecting bigger and brighter things.
Source: CBC's As It Happens
