Dallas' Hôtel Swexan will transform its terrace into a fantastical garden of larger-than-life topiaries, with a highly limited number of private Living Tableaux portrait sessions available Nov. 11–22
DALLAS, Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Hôtel Swexan, Harwood District's MICHELIN Key-recognized luxury boutique hotel, will welcome renowned contemporary artist and photographer Adrien Broom as its first artist-in-residence from November 11–22, 2026. In collaboration with Martine Chaisson Gallery, Broom will transform the hotel's terrace with "The Garden of Unexpected Guests," creating an immersive art installation for portrait sessions created exclusively for Hôtel Swexan. The limited engagement will bring Broom's signature "Living Tableaux" photography series to Harwood District, offering guests the opportunity to step inside her imaginative world and a unique thing to do in Dallas.
"Harwood District has always been about bringing innovative, avant-garde experiences to Dallas, and Hôtel Swexan gives us another canvas to do just that," said Jessica Reid, Director of Marketing & PR at Harwood International. "Adrien's work is such a natural fit for the District. She invites people to step outside the expected and into an entirely different world, which is exactly the kind of experience we love creating at Harwood."
At the heart of the residency is an exceptionally limited opportunity to step inside Broom's work. A select number of private, 90-minute photography sessions will be offered throughout the 12-day residency, giving individuals, couples, families and groups the opportunity to have their portraits created within the installation. Each photograph is composed and illuminated like a painting, resulting in a highly personal work of art and one-of-a-kind keepsake.
Drawing inspiration from mythology, folklore and childhood wonder, Broom creates immersive art environments using elaborate sets, hand-constructed props, costumes and carefully composed lighting. She also seeks out naturally occurring landscapes and moments of light, mist and atmosphere. The result is a body of work that blurs the line between reality and fantasy, inviting viewers—and, in this case, portrait subjects—to enter a world of their own imagination.
For "The Garden of Unexpected Guests," Broom will reimagine Hôtel Swexan's terrace as an enchanted garden populated by large-scale, hyper-realistic topiaries and fantastical details. The limited-time experience will serve as both an immersive artwork and the setting for Broom's Living Tableaux portraits, allowing guests not simply to experience the work, but to become part of it.
"We are thrilled to welcome Adrien Broom and 'The Garden of Unexpected Guests' to Hôtel Swexan as our first official artist-in-residence," said Julian Payne, General Manager of Hôtel Swexan. "This residency reflects our belief that hospitality can be a platform for creativity, discovery and the unexpected. Adrien has imagined an experience that feels entirely at home at Hôtel Swexan—highly considered, transportive and unlike anything our guests will encounter elsewhere."
The Story Behind "The Garden of Unexpected Guests"
The terrace at Hôtel Swexan has always had a few neat little hedges. Knee-high and largely unnoticed. Then, one night, they grew.
Early the next morning, a member of the Hôtel Swexan team stepped onto the terrace to discover that one of the little hedges had transformed into a 10-foot rabbit. The staff trimmed it back. By the following morning, it had grown again—this time with company.
Within a week, the hedges had taken over the terrace: giraffes, swans, dancers and other unexpected guests, all towering over the hotel staff. No one knew quite what to do with them, and not one appeared particularly sorry about the disruption.
Everyone has a theory.
That night, a blue norther swept through—one of those sudden Texas cold fronts—and who knows what it carried with it. One gardener insists the land was hedge country long before Dallas was here, and perhaps they've simply returned, with better manners this time. The bartender has another theory: the hedges heard it was Texas Design Week.
No one knows how long they'll stay.
Rumor has it, until the wind changes.
"Every Living Tableaux starts with a world I build by hand and then invite people into," said Broom. "The Garden of Unexpected Guests felt like it belonged to Dallas from the start. Polished, a little wild, and clearly with a sense of humor. A hedge is about the most obedient thing in the world. I wanted to see what would happen if it stopped."
Experience Details
Dates: November 11–22, 2026
Location: The terrace at Hôtel Swexan, 2575 McKinnon St., Dallas, TX 75201
Experience: Private, 90-minute Living Tableaux photography session with Adrien Broom
Availability: A highly limited number of sittings will be offered throughout the 12-day residency; advance reservations are strongly encouraged
Guests: Sessions are available for individuals, couples, families and groups. Pets are welcome, too.
Investment: $3,500, with an $800 deposit required to reserve a session
Included: Five fully retouched, high-resolution images with full rights to print at any size and quantity.
Signed fine art prints and custom framing are available separately through the artist.
Reservations: https://adrienbroomstudio.as.me/TEXAS
About Adrien Broom
Adrien Broom is an installation artist and photographer who builds immersive, fantastical worlds by hand and photographs them in camera. Nothing is generated digitally. Her work has been exhibited in museums across the United States and internationally, including Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, and her solo exhibition Mystical Murmurs opens at The Dalí Museum in 2028. She studied fine and decorative art history at Christie's in London.
About Hôtel Swexan
A family-owned, 134-room boutique concept, Hôtel Swexan strikes the perfect fusion of its familial Swiss heritage with quintessential Texan hospitality (as denoted by its moniker). Situated in the heart of Uptown Dallas, Hôtel Swexan's exterior was designed by world-renowned Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma. It offers enchanting guestrooms and suites, five independent hospitality concepts, including Michelin Recommended steakhouse Stillwell's, and an expansive rooftop infinity pool perched 20 floors high with panoramic views of the Dallas skyline. Exuding European elegance and old-world luxury, yet in remaining true to its lovable and unwavering Texan spirit, the hotel is uniquely playful and inviting, with an afternoon tea service, martini bar, hidden imbibing outpost, a robust lineup of entertainment, art, wellness and meeting facilities. Outside, the hotel opens onto the Harwood District, a vibrant, walkable mixed-use neighborhood filled with acclaimed dining, art, a museum, public parks, offices, residences and gathering spaces. For more information, visit hotelswexan.com or follow on Instagram @HotelSwexan.
Media Contact
Murphy O'Brien, Murphy O'Brien, 1 2147975464, [email protected]
SOURCE Hôtel Swexan
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