“The Reception”: A Visual Testament to Palestinian Duality by Zeighn Abu Al Teen

In her latest editorial shoot, The Reception, Palestinian mixed media artist and fashion designer Zeighn Abu Al Teen offers more than a visual experience — she presents a powerful narrative stitched with memory, identity, and collective healing.

Born and raised in Amman, Jordan — just 40 miles from her homeland — Zeighn carries the weight and resilience of the Palestinian diaspora with grace, using fashion and visual storytelling as her chosen language.

The Reception is framed as a contemporary ode to the Palestinian wedding, a cultural symbol that encapsulates both joy and resistance. In Zeighn’s hands, it becomes a canvas for the complex duality of Palestinian identity — the tension between softness and hardness, light and shadow, the organic and the constructed. Through this lens, the wedding is not just a celebration but a reclamation: a space where love and loss coexist, where forced displacement fuels a deeper yearning for return.

“As a child of the diaspora,” Zeighn explains, “my language of choice is visual, and with the privilege of speaking it comes the responsibility of using my practice as a platform.” Her work reflects this ethos — not merely in aesthetics but in intention. In The Reception, every element — from the textiles to the posture, from the traditional embroidery to the jewelry — becomes a vessel of meaning.

What sets this shoot apart is not only its stunning visuals, but its community-led spirit. Collaborating with fellow artists of color, Zeighn created a space where shared histories and often-politicized identities could breathe freely. “When artists of color come together, we create our own language,” she says, “rooted in memory, resistance, and love.” In this way, The Reception is as much about the people behind the scenes as it is about what appears in front of the camera. Community became a medium, as vital and tangible as the garments or the photography.

Ultimately, The Reception stands as a love letter to a people and place forever in flux; a reminder that even amid displacement, beauty, ritual, and belonging endure. With this shoot, Zeighn Abu Al Teen doesn't just showcase fashion — she archives emotion, archives identity, and invites us all into a deeper, more intimate dialogue with what it means to create from the margins.

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