Blue laser beams shot through the evening sky, illuminating the reception dinner of “Forever Is Now,” a contemporary exhibition at the Pyramids of Giza. Here, VIP guests had gathered to watch the first screening of AI artworks at the historical monument. Behind the screen, the pyramids glowed—some parts radiant and others silhouetted like a crescent moon—with the Great Sphinx in the foreground, creating a fascinating contrast between the innovation of the past and the potential of the future.
On October 23rd, Egyptian art consultancy Art D’Egypte opened the fourth edition of its “Forever Is Now” exhibition, featuring 12 local and international artists. Notably, this year marks the first inclusion of AI art at the exhibition—an increasingly relevant topic as the technology rapidly advances. It’s a notable inclusion, since, much like the present development of AI, there are, even today, still mysteries remaining around the creation of the pyramids.
Rather than try to separate Egypt’s history from the contemporary arts scene, Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, the consultancy’s founder, hoped to center Egypt as a space for international artistic exchange without the barriers of time, as hinted at in the exhibition’s name. For example, Four Temples (2024) by Korean American artist Ik-Joong Kang was inspired by his 2023 visit to Egypt. The four huge multicolored sculptures are reminiscent of gigantic Rubik’s cubes, and are an ode to ancient Egyptian temples.
Meanwhile, several large brass and cotton lotus flower sculptures make up Padma/Pulse and Bloom (2024) by Indian artist Shilo Shiv Suleman. With soft, subdued hues like blues and pinks, they create a dainty silhouette against the pyramids’ historical might.
Italian artist Luca Boffi’s Monochrome RGB (2024) is a three-part installation featuring red, green, and blue squared stainless steel panels set directly across from the pyramids. Each frame offers a tinted view of the ancient structures, subtly altering the viewer’s perception of these structures through the contrast of colors and shapes. Through the red panel, the pyramids take on an almost nostalgic tone; the blue complements the sky, pulling the pyramids into a closer, cooler focus; while green emphasizes the earthy presence of the desert. Monochrome RGB explores themes of perception, space, and time, creating a striking contrast between the square frames and the pyramids.
In the AI works on view in the screening, a similar interaction between past and present was visible. For example, multidisciplinary artist Hassan Ragab’s saturated and surreal video Identity Oblivious (2024) depicted the same Sphinx before the viewer in the desert, holding an iPhone. At another point, a man carries a pyramid through Cairo’s bustling streets. Developed using tools like MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, and Runway, the work is an eerie yet provocative reflection on the convergence of Egypt’s ancient heritage and the modern world.
“It was essential to illustrate the connection between the past, present, and future—the core of ‘Forever Is Now,’” Ghaffar told Artsy. “We exist in this moment, fully immersed in the AI and digital realms, so it’s crucial for us to engage with the world around us.”
“Most Ancient Egyptian history was theorized scientifically by the British from a materialistic viewpoint. Unfortunately, I think we inherited that,” Ragab said. One striking moment in his video shows a CGI modern Egyptian repainting historic statues to preserve their colors. It’s a beautiful yet eerie sight, challenging viewers’ perception of history as something observable and untouchable.
In another artwork made using AI tools, Evanesce (2024), Saudi Arabian contemporary artist Daniah Al Saleh explores themes of nostalgia and collective memory. Her silent, 10-minute video project explores the golden age of Egyptian cinema (1940s–60s), examining how this period, often idealized as a cultural high point, continues to shape identity and memory in the Middle East. Here, iconic Egyptian pop culture moments morph into one another, creating cultural throughlines across the decades.
While the advent of AI in the arts has been met with suspicion, “Forever Is Now” explores how generative artworks—among others—connect to a pioneering history of technology in art and design. With the Great Pyramids as an impressive backdrop, the exhibition creates a fascinating dialogue between the past, present, and future of art offering new ways to interact, connect, and reimagine our history.
