Art D’Égypte’s 2025 edition introduces The Shen, a large-scale aluminum sculpture by Mert Ege Köse, curated by Ayça Okay and produced with AWC Contemporary. The installation marks Köse’s first presentation in Egypt and the first inclusion of a Turkish artist in the international sculpture program Forever Is Now. Set directly before the Pyramids, the work reinterprets the ancient shen ring as a contemporary structure about connection and balance.
Köse rebuilds the symbol of eternity and protection as a split, mathematically calibrated volume. Fabricated at ASAŞ Sanat with custom aluminum alloys, the sculpture spans about six meters in width and reaches five meters in height. Its reflective surfaces pull in desert light and mirror the surrounding plateau, creating shifting views where visitors see the Pyramids reframed through the form.
The Shen emerges from a year of field research in Egypt and Turkey. Köse describes the installation as a meeting point between the human, the material, and the cosmic—a continuum expressed through geometry and placement at one of the world’s enduring architectural sites.
Curator Ayça Okay positions the piece within an exploration of cross-regional cultural exchange. Her research-led approach links contemporary production in Turkey with historical and institutional contexts across SWANA and Europe. The collaboration extends to AWC Contemporary, the Dubai platform supporting large-scale artistic projects across the MENA and KSA regions.
