— Gizeh-Blankenberge | 2006
Ria Pacquée

In GIZEH-BLANKENBERGE, Ria Pacquée revisits Egypt, capturing the annual influx of tourists who, drawn by ancient secrets and monumental architectural wonders, flood the country each year. Against a backdrop of iconic gods, stylised figures, and hieroglyphs, a colourful procession of tourists—adorned with hats and sunglasses—frantically film and snap photos. Following prescribed paths marked by ropes, fences, and stairways, they encounter only the Egypt curated for their consumption: souvenir shops, bustling markets, camel rides, fast food stands, and tour guides urging them to follow.

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Pacquée emphasises the stark contrast between mass-produced replicas and the original artefacts that inspired them, highlighting the tension between the commodified tourist experience and the authenticity of the ancient past. She deepens this exploration by introducing a layer of simulacrum: superficial imitations drawn from the beaches of Blankenberge, with which she exposes the boundary between the authentic and the artificial, the sacred and the commercial.

 

Through this juxtaposition, Pacquée invites the viewer to critically reconsider the ways in which culture and history are consumed, reinterpreted, and reduced to mere spectacle.