Time, Timelessness, And The Ever Present Moment Of Interpretation At The Pyramids Of Giza

A tourist guide rides a camel past Four Temples by Ik-Joong Kang. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP via The Guardian

In its fourth year, the Egyptian art festival that takes place at the feet of the Pharoah's resting place, Forever Is Now showcases some of the best contemporary art the region has to offer. As the inspiration arises from the creativity of their ancestors, and the constant influx of ideas from around the world, a moment of awareness is made material by trusted artisans who best represent the movement.  
 
As the cartography of the sand can change overnight and the patterns nature designs can reveal stunning novelty and inventiveness, the output of the day’s artists can shift and fold over on itself as various ideals and motivations make themselves known, needed, and open for exploration. For the first time in the Forever Is Now open-air exhibition, Asian participants have been included in the roster of talent to showcase their ideas and messages.  
 
The artists have been given the setting and the wealth of imagery it entails to work with, and as usual they have not let Egypt down. In their clever and intuitive reflections of the culture, aspects of the ancient civilization meet the modern day as locals and visitors can enrich themselves in the extra layers of transient time. Autumn is a great time to visit Egypt, as the summer sun has fallen back, temperatures are more reasonable. Africa is famous for being hot before anything else, so exhibiting the world’s talent during the milder months makes a lot of sense.  
 
The painstakingly produced and thought-through work of fourteen internationally renowned artists have made the cut to be exhibited this year. These include sculptures, paintings, and installations. A partially submerged chariot by Khaled Zaki, stylistically designed with a steel interpretation of a struggling horse, a clay constructed Vessel of Time by Jean-Marie Appriou, multicoloured hieroglyph temples adorned in ancient Egyptian and Modern-day Korean scripts by Ik Joong-Kang, and many more intriguing and surprising displays are situation in the UNESCO heritage site.  
 
As Egypt has been playing a role in reducing tensions between Likud in Israel and Hamas in Palestine, both of which want to destroy each other's culture, the nation’s tourism has suffered genuinely because of this. Polarised minds from both sides will see Egypt as a thorn in the side of the agenda when it comes to ironing out the creases and putting a stop to the senseless and murderous campaigns of both parties. A nation as ancient as Egypt, with its fair share of ups and downs, can stand proud and experienced in the field of international politics. We should listen to ancient cultures, especially ones that have been so successful. Although there are only a few days left for this year’s Forever Is Now exhibition, we can assume that next year will see something just as grand and equally as inspiring. Maybe it’s a good time to visit the land of sand and Pharaohs. 

​Via The Guardian

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