Each year, on the first Monday in May, the Metropolitan Museum of Art becomes the epicentre of fashion’s most theatrical night. But while the red carpet for the annual invitation-only event often commands the spotlight, the true heart of the Met Gala lies inside the museum, within the Costume Institute’s upcoming spring exhibition.
For 2026, that exhibition—titled “Costume Art”—is set to pair select historical garments from the Costume Institute’s vast collection of art objects spanning more than 5,000 years. Yet among the couture and amazing historical artefacts, one unexpected element has quietly become the upcoming show’s most fascinating feature: the mannequins themselves.
Special mannequins are on display throughout the exhibition that represent differently sized and abled bodies. Each of the bespoke mannequins is crowned with a steel head with a smooth reflective mirrored surface instead of a face.
These striking mannequin heads are the work of Samar Hejazi, a Toronto-born, Dubai-based artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, textiles, printmaking, and installation.
“Working closely with Curator in Charge Andrew Bolton, I set out to create a series of mannequin heads that rethink how the body is presented within the world of fashion,” Hejazi explained in an essay published in the just-released Costume Art catalogue.
“From our earliest conversations,” she continued, “we kept returning to several guiding questions: How might we destigmatize the nonideal body? How can a mannequin allow viewers to see themselves in relation to the garment and the body that carries it? And how might the mannequin’s form invite empathy and connection rather than reinforce distance?”
For Hejazi, the assignment was never about designing mannequin heads in the conventional sense. The eye-catching, mirrored faces were utterly intentional.
“This project has been a really meaningful collaboration, and it’s made me think a lot about how the creative process can hold space for exchange rather than just representation,” Hejazi told Complex Canada hours after the annual Met Gala red carpet dominated social media. “That’s something I’d like to keep carrying forward.”
It’s a radical proposition for an institution long associated with aspirational beauty. By replacing faces with mirrors, Hejazi has effectively removed hierarchy. There is no singular model to admire, no fixed identity to project onto. Instead, each viewer becomes part of the work.
“It really started with a question: How do you break the distance between the viewer and what they’re looking at?” Hejazi told Complex Canada. “Mannequins are usually neutral, almost invisible supports for clothing, so I wanted to disrupt that. The mirror does that immediately. Instead of a fixed identity, the face reflects whoever is standing in front of it, so the work is never static. It shifts with each person, and the viewer becomes part of the piece rather than just an observer.”
Hejazi’s work for the Costume Art exhibition feels especially important within the broader cultural moment, as conversations around representation, embodiment, and inclusivity continue to reshape the fashion landscape.
Hejazi, who attended Monday night’s gala wearing a gown by Palestinian designer Zaid Farouki, told Complex Canada she hopes that her pieces make attendees self-reflect, and that her presence inspires others.
“I hope there’s a moment of recognition where the visitors catch themselves in the reflection and become aware of their own presence in the work,” she shared. “There’s a slight disruption at first, but it hopefully settles into something more introspective. The work isn’t trying to offer a single reading, but to open up a more personal encounter, one that creates a sense of closeness, where the viewer feels part of the narrative rather than separate from it.
“I’m focused on expanding my work globally, working with institutions and on larger-scale projects that bring [my work] into new contexts and conversations. This moment feels like a starting point for that.”
If the Met Gala is fashion’s most photographed night, this year’s exhibition may well be its most introspective, thanks in part of Hejazi. The Costume Institute’s new spring Costume Art exhibition will be on display in the Condé M. Nast Galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; it opens to the public on May 10, 2026, and runs through January 10, 2027.
