there's a new pyramid up in giza: JR brings interactive art to egypt

the ‘inside out project’ arrives in giza

Following the successful 2021 installation Greetings from Giza, JR returns to Egypt with a new, interactive installation. With this newest work, the French artist brings the Inside Out Project to the ancient site of the pyramids as part of Art D’Égypte’s Forever Is Now II (see designboom’s coverage of last year’s exhibition here). Visitors are invited to have their portraits taken inside a pyramid-shaped photo booth, which will be included as part of the monumental installation. The installation is running now until November 10th, 2022.

Inside Out photo booth installation at Forever Is Now II, Giza, Egypt, 2022 | image © Hesham Alsaifi

jr returns for the second edition of ‘forever is now’

As part of the Forever Is Now II exhibition at Giza, JR renders visitors’ portraits into larger-than-life artworks backdropped by the iconic Pyramids. Each black and which poster is printed nearly five meters in the air from the artist‘s pyramidal photo booth, and floats down into the awaiting arms of an attendant below. Once their poster is collected, participating visitors can paste their portrait onto one of the three billboards outside the booth. Fronting the Pyramids, visitors participating in the installation make their creative mark on the long artistic history of the ancient site.

participant pasting her portrait at Forever Is Now II, Giza, Egypt, 2022 | image © Justin Weiler

make your mark in egypt

Now on view at the Pyramids of Giza, the Inside Out Project was developed by JR as a ‘people’s art project’ after he was awarded with the TED Prize in 2011. The initiative seeks to give individuals an opportunity to share their portrait and ‘make a statement for what they stand for.’ While planning a project at the Louvre in Paris in 2016, he noticed that ‘people travel across the world to see the Louvre, but, upon arriving, they quickly turn their back on it to take a selfie. Inspired by this irony, he created an anamorphosis that made the Louvre disappear.’

With this context, JR’s installation in Giza recognizes the widespread enthusiasm for selfies at touristic spots, approaching the phenomenon through a new lens. Rather than turning their backs to the 4,500-year-old site, participants showcase their portrait in front of it. Although the faces on the billboards are continuously changing, the ancient backdrop remains the same. ‘Participants and passersby alike are invited to reflect on the ephemeral in a place where time takes on another meaning.’

participants admiring portraits at Forever Is Now II, Giza, Egypt, 2022 | image © Justin Weiler