The 4,500 year old pyramids have never seen anything like it. Celebrated artists including street art cult figure, JR, Italian sculptor, Lorenzo Quinn, and collectors from around the world descended on Giza for the Art D’Égypte show. By Candice Tucker
The Pyramids, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, provided the backdrop for installations like, JR’s “Greetings from Giza”. Each artist paid homage to the global influence of ancient Egyptian culture their own distinct style and the country’s unique blend of Coptic, Muslim and Byzantine cultures from through the millennia shone through the desert dust after a brutally challenging couple of years of pandemic restrictions.
It was the fourth edition of Art D’Égypte but the first with an international perspectives, as supporters including Samih Sawiris, Chairman of Orascom, and Italian philanthropist Umberta Beretta, explain below. It took the curators of the show, led by Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, founder of Art D’Égypte, over 3 years to convince UNESCO to enable this event to unfold.
Egyptian born, Los Angeles based artist, Sherin Guirguis’ sculpture. Image by Hesham E Saifi
Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn’s artwork. Image by Pixcelle
French artist, JR’s installation. Image courtesy of Pixcelle
“Art D’Égypte this year by the pyramids gave world-renowned artists an opportunity to combine their contemporary outlook with the world’s most important monument. In short, it shows Egypt as the place that has inspired art for centuries.” -Samih Sawiris, Chairman of Orascom and Egyptian visionary.
Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr poses next to his installation entitled, ‘Batrakh’. Photo by Ammar Abd Rabbo/Art D’Égypte
An installation by Russian artist, Alexander Ponomarev, entitled ‘Ouroboros’. Photo by Ammar
“In ancient Egypt, the word ‘artist’ means ‘the one who brings to life’ and in our case, the artists actively participated in bringing ‘Forever Is Now’ to life. [The artists] came to present a message of honour, pride, and appreciation for the ancient Egyptian civilisation with its antiquities and heritage, which has become a beacon of art throughout the ages.” -Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, Founder of Art D’Égypte
British artists Claudia Moseley and Edward Shuster pose next to their installation entitled ‘Plan of the Path of Light in the House of the Hidden Places’. Image by Ammar Abd Rabbo/Art D’Égypte
Online editor: Candice Tucker
