8 artists transform the Giza Plateau through site-specific installations exploring time, cultural memory and the dialogue between past and present.
Art D’Égypte by CulturVator has inaugurated the sixth edition of Forever Is Now at the Pyramids of Giza, bringing together eight artists from diverse cultural backgrounds to present site-specific installations across the Giza Plateau. Open to the public from 8 to 28 November 2026, the exhibition invites audiences to reflect on time, cultural memory and the enduring dialogue between past and present.
Held under the patronage of UNESCO and the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Experience Egypt and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the opening welcomed a distinguished gathering that included Laurent Fabius, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of France; H.E. Suresh Reddy, Ambassador of India; H.E. Éric Chevallier, Ambassador of France; Princess Heidi von Hohenzollern of Germany; and music composer Hisham Kharma.
Saudi contemporary artist and photographer Abdulrahman Taha, based in Riyadh, opens the line-up with The Gathering, an installation that turns the traditional Egyptian board game Tawula into monumental sculptural forms carved from natural stone. Inspired by the game’s playing pieces, the work reflects on how shared traditions can bring people together, keeping with Taha’s practice of creating cultural spaces that encourage human connection.
British-French artist and filmmaker Charlotte Colbert, whose multidisciplinary work explores identity, femininity, transformation, memory and the subconscious, presents Possible Landscapes. Surreal stainless-steel sculptures, among them an eye-topped arch, a reflective steel tree, a sculptural wishing well and a set of lanterns, form an immersive, dreamlike environment that explores nature, imagination, belief and perception, blurring the line between reality and fantasy.
French multidisciplinary artist Geoffroy Pithon, known for his large-scale painting installations and vibrant compositions, presents Hortus Pictus. Rising from the heart of the desert, these monumental modular sculptures draw on the Tree of Life and the mythological garden of ancient Egyptian belief, bringing painting, architecture and cosmology into conversation with the Pyramids.
Chinese artist and designer Jiang Qiong Er, who blends traditional Chinese culture, craftsmanship and contemporary design, presents It Is Time to Plant Love to commemorate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Egypt and China. Twelve monumental guardian figures stand before the Pyramids, reimagining the ceremonial pathways that lead to sacred spaces. Inspired by Egyptian, Mayan, Chinese, Indian and other civilisations, they embody shared values of benevolence, inclusion, equality, peace, freedom, nature and wisdom, a human heritage that transcends cultural boundaries.
New York-based French-American multimedia artist Raphaele Shirley, who works across painting, video, sculpture, light, sound and public installation, explores the meeting points of science, ecology, cosmology and human consciousness. Her work Passage takes inspiration from ancient Egyptian cosmology and the form of the pyramid, using expanding rings to suggest orbital movement and cyclical time. Palm fibres, wicker, reed and copper link the piece to Nile traditions and symbolise growth, energy and transformation.
British-Jamaican multidisciplinary artist Rochelle Nembhard presents Celestial Vessels, drawing on the Hermopolitan creation narrative of ancient Egypt. Eight monumental earthen vessels, inspired by the Ogdoad, the eight primordial forces that gathered around the Cosmic Egg before the first light, are arranged like a constellation across the landscape. They speak to the Pyramids through two complementary geometries: one representing what humanity has achieved, the other holding what it has yet to imagine.
Turkish sculptor Seçkin Pirim, who lives and works between Istanbul and London, presents The King’s Road, which treats the Giza Plateau as an aligned field of thought. The ancient King’s Roads made that field operative, binding quarries to temples, stone to memory and walking to orientation. Rising in Egyptian marble, the columns stand as the earth’s memory set upright, and repetition, light and shadow draw the visitor into a route rather than a static object, where stone, body and the history of the place meet in one movement.
Representing Egypt, painter and visual artist Emad Abu Grain, born in Assiut in Upper Egypt, brings a local perspective to the international line-up with Talisman of Salvation. Inspired by the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the work explores awareness versus heedlessness on the journey to eternity. Built from stone and rope, it suggests that moral purity needs wisdom, turning heavy traps into a sacred gateway of light.
Addressing guests at the opening, Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, Founder of Art D’Égypte by CulturVator, reflected on the sixth edition and the organisation’s tenth anniversary. “This year holds a particularly special meaning for us, as we celebrate Art D’Égypte’s tenth year,” she said. “Ten years ago, we had a dream. We wanted the world to see Egypt not only for the extraordinary history we inherited, but for the creativity we continue to produce today.” She added that the true value of art lies in the people it reaches and the opportunities it inspires, which is why the platform’s commitment extends beyond exhibitions to educational initiatives and community engagement programmes that open doors for young people and encourage future generations to discover, appreciate and protect Egypt’s cultural heritage.
LMD returns as the Main Sponsor for the second consecutive year, alongside Suez Canal Bank as Official Banking Partner, with further support from Orascom Pyramids Entertainment, BMW as Luxurious Automotive Partner, Barta and Partners as Insurance Partner, Abo Ghaly Motors as Transportation Partner, EgyptAir as Official Carrier and many others. Media support comes from MO4 Network and TV5MONDE, along with documentation partners YoungHouse, Arabian Publishing Media, Etac Promo, and Pilot Room.
