Forever is Now

Under the auspices of the Egyptian authorities and the patronage of the Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO and UNESCO, the "Forever is Now" International Contemporary Art Exhibition opened at the Giza Plateau, UNESCO World Heritage site, on 21 October 2021. This historic event was organised by Art D’Egypte, an avid promoter of contemporary arts, and an outstanding supporter of artists and craftspeople in Egypt and beyond.

UNESCO are among the proud supporters of Art D’Egypte’s annual contemporary art exhibition, which has been held in prestigious places in Cairo such as the Egyptian Museum in Cairo in 2017 and the Manial Palace in 2018.   In 2019, the exhibition was held at Historic Cairo, another UNESCO World Heritage site. These exhibition in the historical settings brought life to these historical buildings and to heritage city, paving the way for the first international exhibition “Forever is Now” to take place at the Pyramids field this year.

The exhibition displays the inspirational contemporary art exhibits by 10 leading artists along a trail around the 4500-year-old heritage site at the Giza Plateau. The 10 participating artists are Russian artist Alexander Ponomarev; American artist Gisela Colón; Brazilian artist João Trevisan; French Artist JR; Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn; Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr; Egyptian born, Los Angeles- based artist Sherin Guirguis; British artists Shuster and Moseley; British artist Stephen Cox RA; and Saudi Arabian artist HRH Prince Sultan Bin Fahad.

By placing heritage sites at the center of a shared collective experience, the exhibition “Forever is Now” not only connects the past to the present but also demonstrates the power of arts and creativity and supports the recovery of the art and creative sector from the pandemic.

True to its commitment, in 2007, Egypt joined the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.  This Convention aims to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions and create an environment conducive for cultures to flourish and to interact freely. This Convention places creativity, in its diverse manifestations at heart of a vision of a sustainable, participatory, and inclusive vision of creative economy. “Forever is Now” embodies the spirit of this Convention.