Art D’Égypte is bringing contemporary art back to the Giza Pyramids this autumn. The sixth edition of Forever Is Now runs from November 4 to 28, 2026. This year, the exhibition is led by women. Five women and three men make up the eight participating artists. Organisers announced the details at a Cairo press conference on October 4.
Setting the Stage
The press conference took place at The Diplomatic Club in Cairo. The exhibition runs under the auspices of Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Experience Egypt supports it, and it carries UNESCO’s patronage. Founder Nadine Abdel Ghaffar called this edition a defining new chapter. Notably, it includes the platform’s first cooperation protocol with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Assistant Foreign Minister Wael El-Naggar said art is a powerful way to connect Egypt’s heritage with the world. Guests included UNESCO’s Cairo office director, Paul Coustere, and Grand Egyptian Museum CEO Ahmed Ghoneim.
Meet the Eight Artists
The lineup spans six countries and several disciplines. Jiang Qiong Er joins from China. She co-founded Shang Xia with Hermès, and the British Museum and the V&A hold her work. Egyptian artist Reham Abo Elazm combines painting and sculpture. British-Jamaican artist Rochelle-Webster Nembhard creates performance and sculpture from earth, clay and stone. Filmmaker Charlotte Colbert, who is British-French, has shown work at the V&A, Frieze and Art Basel.
French-American artist Raphaële Shirley has exhibited at the State Hermitage Museum and the Queens Museum. Meanwhile, French artist Bernar Venet created Arc Majeur, a 60-metre sculpture described as the world’s largest public artwork. Fellow French artist Geoffroy Pithon builds immersive painted environments, and his work belongs to museum collections in Santa Barbara and Chengdu. Finally, Seçkin Pirim of Türkiye draws on Rumi’s philosophy and has exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery and Istanbul Modern.
Art Beside a Wonder of the World
Forever Is Now places contemporary works beside the last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World. In 2022, the second edition featured JR’s Inside Out Giza photo booth, shaped like a pyramid. It also included Emilio Ferro’s The Portal of Light. Eleven artists took part that year. Since then, the exhibition has grown into a flagship annual event for Art D’Égypte. As a result, this women-led edition arrives with real momentum.
A Season That Reaches Across Cairo
This year’s season extends well beyond the Giza Plateau. First, the sixth Cairo International Art District (CIAD) runs from October 11 to November 8. It takes place at three Downtown Cairo venues: The Factory, Kodak Passage, and Access Art Space. As part of it, The Geography of the Unseen invited artists to turn Downtown’s memory into digital works made on an iPad. Artist Hani Mahfouz and TradeLine created the competition. Ten selected works will be exhibited, and three winners will be announced. The first-place winner receives an AI course scholarship.
Next, Historic Cairo hosts the first edition of Crafts Re-Imagined. It runs from October 23 to November 8 at Bait Al Suheimy. The exhibition builds on Re-Imagined Narratives, shown on Al-Muizz Street in 2019. It pairs contemporary artists and designers with master craftsmen. The crafts include woodwork, stone carving, glassblowing, weaving, tapestry and khayamiya. According to organisers, the co-created works aim to open new markets for artisans.
Finally, the second edition of Formed by Dialogue runs from November 5 to 14 at the Egyptian Museum. It brings together heritage, art, design, fashion and jewellery. Moreover, it explores how design traditions evolve through exchange between cultures.
Why It Matters
This edition places women at the centre of one of Egypt’s most visible art events. At the same time, it widens the conversation to include craft, design and digital creativity. Consequently, visitors can experience contemporary art in several corners of Cairo, not only at the Pyramids. For updates on tickets and programming, follow Art D’Égypte at artdegypte.org.
