Art D’Égypte celebrates the great success of the second edition of the art exhibition “Forever Is Now” held at the great Pyramids of Giza between October 27 and November 30, 2022. A diverse group of 12 international and regional artists showcased their artwork at the foot of these monumental structures creating a conversation between contemporary and ancient art, between the past and the future.
The exhibition enjoyed approximately 850,000 visitors, including 50 schools trips and 20 private and governmental university visits, as well as several prominent public figures, the most famous of which were Her Majesty th mother Queen Sofia of Spain; US billionaire Michael Bloomberg, United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Ambitions and Solutions and former Mayor of New York City; the Minister of Culture and Youth for the United Arab Emirates, Her excellency Noura Al Kaabi; and a group of professional artists from Tate Britain.
Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, the founder of Art D’Égypte, confirmed that almost 800 global media outlets have covered “Forever Is Now.02” providing significant global resonance for the event. She added, “we organized special programs for students such as the art guide program, to educate them more about the artists and artworks and increase their knowledge of the technical aspects of large installations. Nearly 200 volunteers participated and received training before the exhibition, allowing them to act as tour guides for visitors during the exhibition period. In addition, the exhibition included AR filters for each artwork in partnership with Instagram from Meta to explain each artwork for visitors.”
She went on to say that, “the burden on the government is very high, and the private sector must be involved. We started collaborating with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in 2017 in coordination with UNESCO to raise awareness about the importance of antiquities and the need to preserve archaeological sites. As a result of our work, the site of the pyramids was chosen for the exhibition to merge between contemporary art and ancient heritage and to bring the past to the present. This year the exhibition coincided with the launch of COP27 held in Sharm El-Sheikh, and several of the artworks incorporated recycled elements to raise awareness on sustainability issues.”
According to Nadine Abdelghaffar, “Our global success last year encouraged us to raise the bar and organize an even more impactful event. We have worked hard over the past years, and we are proud to present this huge exhibition for the second time at the Giza Pyramids, an unmatched UNESCO World Heritage Site. We are reviving the glory of ancient civilizations with public art and contemporary significance through artworks by international and regional artists.”
Many public figures and artists attended the closing ceremony, including Dr. Nuria Sanz, Regional Director of the UNESCO Office in Cairo; Belgian Ambassador François Cornet; and celebrities including Bushra, Sara El Shamyi, Jehan Khalil, director Amir Ramses, and artists Karim El Hayawan, Hani Rashid, Mohammed Abu al-Naja, Therese, Mohammed Ziyad, Husam Zaki, Mina Isaac, and others.
The artists who participated in Forever Is Now.02 hail from many countries: Ahmed Karaly (Egypt), eL Seed (Tunisia, France), Emilio Ferro (Italy), JR (France), Jwan Yosef (Syria, Sweden), Liter of Light (Philippines), Mohammad Alfaraj (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Natalie Clark (USA, UK), Pascale Marthine Tayou (Cameroon), SpY (Spain), Therese Antoine (Egypt), and Zeinab Alhashemi (UAE). This amazing group of regional and international artists explored questions such as how to navigate between our ancient world and our technological futures, between eternal monuments and endangered environments.
Finally, Nadine Abdel Ghaffar added, “I would like to thank all supporters, institutions and official authorities for their constant support and assistance to Art D’Égypte and their faith in me and the team. Special thanks to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Tourism and Antiquities, the Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO, the Tourism Promotion Authority, the main sponsor Qatari Diar Egypt, the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth, Dior, Bloomberg, Afreximbank, MO4 Network, the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development, automotive sponsor Mercedes-Benz Egypt, Orascom Pyramids Entertainment, EgyptAir, Al Ismailia Real Estate Investment Company, our logistics partner DHL, our two cultural partners Al-Tahrir Cultural Center at the American University in Cairo and Abu Dhabi Festival, Instagram by Meta, and Barta and Partners. We also thank our lighting partner Signify, Al-Ahram Beverages Company, Al-Sharif Holding Group, Marmonil, Orange, Abou Ghaly Motors, the French Embassy in Egypt, Paymob, our PR partner Maison Pyramide, our media partners TV5 Monde, our radio partner NRJ Radio, RENÉE water, and Icon Smart Solutions.”
