At Aisha Alabbar Gallery, structures appear to hang unanchored, defying the need for traditional stability. This tension defines In Circulation, the debut UAE solo exhibition by Palestinian artist Samar Hejazi. Moving beyond representation, Hejazi’s work presents a body of art held together by fragility alone, inviting contemplation on how identity endures when the systems we rely on, both material and internal, are destabilised.
This meditation on flux is born from Hejazi’s desire to understand human experience through the lens of displacement. Her technical approach is as radical as her conceptual one; she creates textile works almost entirely without fabric, forcing threads to hold the weight of their own structure. “I asked myself: can embroidery hold itself together without the support of fabric?” she says. “In other words, can an identity exist without a land? The answer I learnt was: connection. As long as the threads are connected, the motif can exist.”
This interplay between structure and void permeates the exhibition. In her collection Framing the Imaginary, an empty frame with threads extending beyond its boundaries serves as a commentary on how traditional structures fail to contain the Palestinian experience. Similarly, in Mawtini, Hejazi deconstructs a national anthem, transforming a communal symbol into a delicate, unravelling tension of fragments. Even her archival works, which reimagine Palestinian house deeds and floor plans, shift from historical documentation to emotional cartography. By layering and fragmenting these documents, she is capturing the feeling of home as it exists in the imagination.
The repetitive labour of stitching and printmaking is a space for reflection for the artist, a way to navigate heavy historical ideas through personal, poetic repetition. There is a sense of inevitability in her process; she allows the narratives to unfold through her hands, acknowledging that every iteration offers a new meaning. As In Circulation invites viewers into this space, Hejazi hopes they leave with more questions than answers. “There are multiple ways to exist that don’t necessarily fall under the definitions given to us,” she reflects. The exhibition offers a sense of possibility, a reminder that identity is not held by the ground beneath us, but woven through the strength of the connections we choose to maintain. In Circulation is on show at Aisha Alabbar Gallery, Alserkal Avenue until 15 July, 2026. Learn more
Originally published in the May 2026 issue of MOJEH Magazine. Subscribe here
