Harper's Bazaar (Arabia)

HANDS of HISTORY

The modern world comes face to face with ancient times in Art D’Égypte’s extraordin­ary exhibition at the Pyramids of Giza

- Words by AYESHA S. SHEHMIR

Ameasure which both separates and unites civilisati­ons – this is the power of time. And this was Art D’Égypte’s inspiratio­n behind Forever Is Now, the very first internatio­nal contempora­ry art exhibition to be held at the grand Pyramids of Giza. The cross-cultural showcase marks Art D’Égypte’s fourth annual exhibition at a heritage site hosted under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquitie­s, the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, the Governorat­e of Giza, and the patronage of UNESCO.

Ten internatio­nal artists have joined hands to contemplat­e the 4,500-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site and the surroundin­g plateau through a modern lens, spotlighti­ng the remarkable treasure as a gift to the whole world. Among these are Saudi’s Prince Sultan bin Fahad who depicts the roots of the relations between Egypt and Arabia, and self-taught painter Moataz Nasr, who, through his work Barzakh (or the ‘divide’), explores a mental construct which is never seen but known and understood.

Lorenzo Quinn’s site-specific masterpiec­e Together strikes visitors from afar. The Italian sculptor, best known for his expressive recreation­s of the human hands, portrays how COVID-19 has seemingly frozen time and impacted the ways we connect with each other. Two enormous hands float over the pyramids, reaching out to touch – reigniting a desire for physical closeness, which we’ve all been

 ?? ?? Lorenzo Quinn’s artwork Together at Art D’Égypte
Lorenzo Quinn’s artwork Together at Art D’Égypte

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Arab Emirates