Against the Pyramids of Giza, Vhils' Etched Portraits Are Monuments of the Everyday

"The poetic idea that "doors are the architecture of intimacy" grounds a new installation by Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto, a.k.a. Vhils ( previously). Against the stunning desert backdrop of the Pyramids of Giza, "Doors of Cairo" is a site-specific work featuring a layered collection of Vhils' distinctive etched portraits. Faces peer out from the weathered structures, some of which nest in the sand while others tower above on scaffolding."

"Contrasting the ancient tombs with an installation that will dot the landscape for just a month, Vhils explores the ways we mark the world and how our imprints endure over time. "The pyramids were built for kings and gods, meant to last forever. My installation is made from wood and memory, and it will soon disappear," he says. "Yet both belong to the same human impulse, to build, to remember, to leave a trace.""

""Doors of Cairo" is part of the fifth Forever Is Now project, an ongoing exhibition curated by Art D'Égypte with the support of UNESCO. Vhils is the first Portuguese artist invited to participate in the project, and he tethers his homeland to the historic site. All 65 repurposed doors were sourced from demolition sites and renovation projects between the two countries, and each bears traces of former use, whether chipped paint, scuffed surfaces, or faint fingerprints that linger in a well-worn spot."

"The fragmented portraits don't depict anyone specific but rather function as stand-ins for people past and present. "A single face can represent one person, but it can also stand for a community, a generation, or a shared emotional landscape," the artist says. "It speaks to how people and places are inseparable, how memory becomes embedded in matter, and how identity is built from many invisible layers.""

Vhils created a site-specific installation titled "Doors of Cairo" composed of 65 repurposed doors etched with layered, fragmented portraits placed around the Pyramids of Giza. The doors were sourced from demolition and renovation sites between Portugal and Egypt and retain visible signs of prior use, such as chipped paint, scuffs, and fingerprints. The carved faces function as stand-ins for individuals, communities, and generational memory, illustrating how identity and memory embed in material layers. The work intentionally contrasts the pyramids' permanence with the installation's ephemeral wooden structures while producing a smaller sculptural iteration intended to endure beyond the outdoor display.

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