BMW GROUP A NOUVEAU PARTENAIRE D’ART D’EGYPTE AU CAIRE. QUATRIEME EDITION SUR LE THEME « FOREVER IS NOW » EN 2021.

Cairo/Munich. Already since it’s second edition in 2018, BMW Group is partnering with Art D’Egypte. The fourth edition has recently been announced and will run under the topic “Forever Is Now”. It is set to be the first international art exhibition in history taking place at the Pyramids of Giza Plateau and starting on October 23, 2021. Art D’Egypte is held under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as under the patronage of UNESCO.

Since 2017, Art D’Égypte has organized annual exhibitions with the long-term view of promoting Egyptian contemporary art. The aim has been to support young and emerging artists as well as to call attention to Egypt’s modern and contemporary art scene. While linking the event to the country’s cultural and historic heritage, Art D’Égypte wants to highlight the diversity and richness of Egyptian art over the centuries. In a departure from its previous exhibitions, Art D’Égypte is inviting international as well as local artists to participate in “Forever Is Now”. This will be the first time in the 4500-year history of the Giza Plateau that contemporary artists from all around the world are invited to showcase their work juxtaposed with the monumental backdrop of the Great Pyramids of Giza. Participating artists are to be announced over the course of the next year.

“I have always been in awe of this extraordinary ancient civilization that has influenced generations with discoveries in the sciences, arts, math, social justice, cultural development, and innovation,” said Nadine A. Ghaffar, French-Egyptian founder of Art D’Égypte. “It is a civilization that managed to invent and build monuments that we as human beings to this day cannot fathom and have not been able to replicate. Egyptian culture is a gift to humanity, and the purpose of this exhibition is to showcase these treasures in a dialogue with the contemporary on an international scale, to the rest of the world. Ancient Egypt has influenced artists from around the world, and so we bring the world to Egypt and Egypt to the world through art. It’s a privilege to stand at the foot of these monuments that have survived turmoil, wars, and pandemics, and have endured. This exhibition is a token of hope for humanity and a humble tribute to a civilization that stands the test of time.”

“Forever Is Now” is an international art exhibition that both reflects the profound, global influence of ancient Egypt and draws on the ongoing inclusiveness of contemporary cultural practices. Whether practiced by ancient Egyptians or by contemporary artists, the making of art permits one generation to bear witness of the present and speak to the next. It is an unrelenting undertaking that reflects humankind’s enduring talent for creating works that inspire the imagination, works that reveal the wonder of humanity itself, its tenacity and, through the arts, its unity. “Forever Is Now” will be cross-cultural and will showcase how ancient Egypt has been a monumental source of inspiration for artists throughout history.

The exhibition represents a merging of ancient heritage and contemporary art at the oldest and last remaining of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which today survives as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The exhibition involves some of the world’s leading experts and institutions, with centuries-worth of experience and knowledge on Egyptology, the archaeological history of the plateau, and the ancient history of the Great Pyramids of Giza and have hosted some of the strongest international and regional art exhibitions.

The 2021 edition of Art D’Egypte, “Forever Is Now”, will also incorporate a Cultural Awareness Program that has already been launched in October 2020 at the Giza Plateau. The program aims to involve the surrounding community in the process of putting together this show and includes free UNESCO-led public lectures to train youth as Art Guides and Heritage Guardians for the duration of the exhibition. The program is under the auspices of Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and under UNESCO patronage.

For further questions please contact:
Prof. Dr Thomas Girst
BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs
Head of Cultural Engagement
Telephone: +49 89 382 24753
Email: Thomas.Girst@bmwgroup.com

www.press.bmwgroup.com
Email: presse@bmw.de

Nour Hassan
Art D’Egypte
Communications Director
Telephone: +20 111 200 0356
Email: press@artdegypte.com

https://www.artdegypte.org/

About Nadine A. Ghaffar
Nadine Abdelghaffar is a French-Egyptian multi-disciplinary professional and Art D’Égypte’s founder. Her dedication to art, culture and design has allowed her to work on a plethora of projects as a cultural producer and advocate of art democratization and cultural preservation through sustainable development. As a result of her experience and commitment to the promotion of Egyptian art and heritage, she established the art consultancy and cultural operator Art D’Égypte in 2017, which aims to promote Egyptian art and heritage nationally, regionally, and internationally. Over the past three years, Nadine has orchestrated and hosted three exhibitions at heritage sites across Egypt including the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, the Manial Palace, and al-Mu’izz Street, effectively changing the art landscape in Egypt.

In January 2020, Nadine was invited by UN WOMEN to speak on Egyptian women and their role in elevating the art landscape through social change. Nadine has also aided in showcasing the work of Egyptian artists through Art D’Égypte at international fairs such as Abu Dhabi Art Fair and Art Genève.

About BMW Group Cultural Engagement
For 50 years, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in over 100 cultural cooperations worldwide. The company places the main focus of its long-term commitment on contemporary and modern art, classical music and jazz as well as architecture and design. In 1972, three large-scale paintings were created by the artist Gerhard Richter specifically for the foyer of the BMW Group’s Munich headquarters. Since then, artists such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Daniel Barenboim, Jonas Kaufmann and architect Zaha Hadid have co-operated with BMW. In 2016 and 2017, female artist Cao Fei from China and American John Baldessari created the next two vehicles for the BMW Art Car Collection. For years, the BMW Group and its partners have been initiating and establishing their own formats such as BMW Tate Live, BMW Welt Jazz Award, BMW Open Work, the BMW Art Journey and the « Opera for All » concerts in Berlin, Munich, Moscow and London. The company also partners with leading museums, art fairs and orchestras as well as jazz festivals and opera houses around the world. With BMW OPERA NEXT, the new partnership with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the opportunities presented by digitalisation are used to open up new ways of accessing the world of opera for young audiences. As part of its art programme “Muse”, Rolls-Royce partners for the initiative “The Dream Commission” with two internationally esteemed art institutions. Together with Fondation Beyeler and Serpentine Galleries, emerging and established artists are invited to submit a moving-image work that delivers an immersive sensory experience. The artists are nominated and chosen by renowned personalities of the art world like Daniel Birnbaum, Suhanya Raffel, and Theodora Vischer. The BMW Group takes absolute creative freedom in all its cultural activities for granted – as this initiative is as essential for producing groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.

Further information: www.bmwgroup.com/culture and www.bmwgroup.com/culture/overview

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