Following the success of last year’s ‘Forever Is Now’, the first international art exhibition held at the Pyramids of Giza which welcomed over 500,000 visitors, Art D’Egypte’s second edition returns to the historic site with the support of the Abu Dhabi Festival.
Forever Is Now II showcases contemporary art installations by a dozen international artists from eleven countries, including Emirati conceptual artist Zeinab Al Hashemi, Saudi artist Mohammed Al Faraj, international award-winning French-Tunisian eL Seed, accomplished Egyptian sculptor Ahmed Karaly, JR, the internationally acclaimed French street artist best known for his epic art installations, Spanish artist SpY, famous for transforming public spaces into full-blown experiences, classically trained British-American sculptor Natalie Clark, Therese Antoine Louis, Italian artist Emilio Ferro, Cameroonian Pascale Marthine Tayou, and Syrian-born and Swedish-raised visual artist Jwan Yosef.
Commenting on the continued partnership between Abu Dhabi Festival and Art D’Egypte, Her Excellency Huda AlKhamis-Kanoo, Founder of ADMAF and the Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival said: “Following the remarkable success of the first edition of Forever is Now, we are proud to play a role once more in the realization of the historic second edition, which features Emirati conceptual artist Zeinab Al Hashemi and her unique geometric installation inspired by Emirati heritage, ‘Camoulflage 1.618: The Unfinished Obelisk’, at the historical site of the only surviving wonder of the ancient world. We are pleased to partner with Art D’Egypte to cultivate our shared vision to nurture artistic innovation and encourage free creative thinking through the exceptional power of the arts. “
Al Hashemi’s unique installation “Camoulflage 1.618: The Unfinished Obelisk”, part of her ongoing “Camoulflage” series, uses recycled camel skin to cover abstract geometric models, similar in composition to the desert terrain, to create a camouflaged scene that expresses an exceptional artistic vision.
She is considered among the nation’s most prominent Emirati visual artists. After graduating from Zayed University with a Bachelor of Arts and Science, she specialized in multimedia design. Best known for her large-scale contemporary installations, she captures the transformations that took place in the UAE in the wake of the architectural and industrial revolutions from her own perspective. Her artistic style is characterized by patterns inspired by her environment, along with the language of geometric shapes inspired by nature, in addition to many elements of the Arab identity that make her works unique for their great richness of formations and dazzling artistic compositions.
Forever is Now II runs from 27 October to 30 November at the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt.