As part of the 18th edition of Abu Dhabi Festival under the slogan “The Future Starts Now”, and through a cultural partnership with Art D’Égypte, the art exhibition Forever Is Now was successfully concluded as the first international exhibition taking place on the Giza Plateau at the foot of the Great Pyramids.
Featuring contemporary artworks from the region and the world, including works by the great Egyptian sculptor Adam Henein, the exhibition was curated by the internationally renowned Simon Watson.
H.E. Huda Ibrahim Alkhamis, Founder of ADMAF, Founder and Artistic Director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, praised the efforts of Art D’Egypt founder Nadine Abdel Ghaffar and her team. “Forever Is Now is part of a new dawn for Arab artists and an invitation for international audiences to experience a growing movement. My gratitude goes to Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, the curators and the entire Art D’Egypt team for accomplishing an incredible exhibition. In our ongoing mission to advocate for and develop international opportunities for all Arab artists, Abu Dhabi Festival strives to make their work and our culture accessible to all.”
Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, Founder of Art D’Égypte, said: “The great success of this project is due to the support of our partners and sponsors, including our cultural partner Abu Dhabi Festival, a beacon lighting the way towards reviving the entire cultural sector.”
The participating artists included Russian artist Alexander Ponomarev, Brazilian artist João Trevisan, French Artist JR, Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn, Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr, Egyptian born and Los Angeles-based artist SherinGuirguis, British artists Shuster + Moseley and Stephen Cox RA, and Saudi artist HRH Prince Sultan Bin Fahad.
Art D’Égypte also unveiled the creative work of visual artist and architect Karim El Hayawan, along with music by Mohamed Nawara and vocals by soprano Fatma Said. Furthermore, the art documentary payed tribute to 14 contemporary Egyptian artists of the past and present.
Art D’Égypte also introduced a parallel project; the world’s first ultra-realistic humanoid robot, which can draw, paint, sculpt and engage in performance art. The mechatronics and robotics involved in the making of Ai-Da’s drawing arm is designed and programmed by two Egyptian engineers at the University of Leeds, Salah EL Abd and Ziad Abbas. The robot’s artworks were also present at the exhibition.
The 18th edition of Abu Dhabi Festival is supported by its lead partner Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala) and energy partner GS Energy.
For more information, visit Abu Dhabi Festival’s website: https://bit.ly/2SgFoZ4, and its digital platforms on: Facebook (abudhabifestival), Twitter (@abudhabi_fest), and Instagram (@abudhabifestival).
