How ‘Homes That Never Sleep’ Makes Everyday Objects Tell a Story

What if the objects that fill our homes could tell stories? That’s the question at the heart of Art D’Egypte’s newest exhibition, ‘Homes That Never Sleep’. Running until February 26th at Maison 69 in New Cairo, the exhibition centres around familiar domestic items as they are turned into layered reflections on personal and collective memory.

“Often, we take household items for granted, but this exhibition highlights how they silently witness and adapt to the constant rhythms of life, whether it’s moments of joy, struggle or resilience,”  Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, Founder of Art D’Egypte/CulturVator, tells CairoScene. “By recontextualising these objects, the exhibition encourages visitors to see them not just as static pieces of décor, but as active participants in our daily narratives.”

The exhibition marks a collaboration with the Forset Hayah Foundation to raise funds for the medical treatments of children with rare diseases. For art enthusiasts and collectors, pieces acquired from the collection will mean not just taking home art, but contributing to life-saving care.

“Integrating Forset Hayah into ‘Homes That Never Sleep’ was a deeply intentional decision. The name itself reflects the reality of families who stay up at night caring for a sick child - so one can only imagine the endless nights when a child has a rare disease with no clear cure or treatment,” Ghaffar says. “This collaboration is about standing in solidarity with these families and supporting an organisation that makes a real difference.”

The community-oriented approach is a recurring theme for Art D’Egypte, known for its site-specific contemporary art exhibitions across the region. From repurposed chairs to reimagined frames, each installation challenges viewers to reflect not only on the stories that the daily items in our homes might tell about us, but how they speak to a larger narrative of memory and shared human experience.

The exhibition showcases works by Pance Ahmed, Al Shaimaa Darwish, Omar Senada, Ahmed Shaaban, Heba Tarek, Jamal Bassiouni, Eman Abdou, Karim El Hayawan, Mahmoud Hamdi, Agnes Michalczyk, Aya El Fallah, Akram El Halwagy, Hossam Zaki, Fatma Abo Doma, Dina Fahmy El Rouby, Hesham Abdel Moaty, Yara Hatem, Ahmed Farid, Shahd Osman, Iman El Gammal, Yara Hassan, Amal El Gindi, and Mahmoud Bakar.