"Art belongs to everybody and nobody. Art belongs to all time and no time," said award-winning British writer Julian Barnes in his novel “The Noise of Time.” This phrase inspired a group of Egyptian artists to choose “transition” as the theme of their photography and videography festival in Cairo.

The first edition of the festival titled "Cairographie" is currently underway (Nov. 5-Dec. 31) and aims to create awareness of contemporary issues — such as the environment, protests, migration and the youth — through photos and videos. Organized by Darb 1718, a contemporary art and culture center in Cairo that was founded in 2008, the festival is supported by Photopia, a hub for photographers in Egypt.

"We want to shed more light on art — especially photography and videography — to enrich the art movement in Egypt," Moataz Nasr, the founder of Darb 1718, told Al-Monitor. Nasr, one of Egypt’s most famous visual artists, represented his country in the 2017 Venice Biennale, arguably the most important art event in the world, with an exhibition called “This too Shall Pass.”

"The group exhibitions create a broad discussion between the audience and the artists. This [dialogue] is the core reason for launching a festival like this," he said, adding that the video and photographical works of 43 artists were displayed.