The phrase “now or never” resonates on multiple levels. Collectively, it speaks to global challenges, where hesitation means opportunity lost. Individually, it reminds us that every moment is a turning point—an opportunity to choose one’s future and to live deliberately from this moment forward. The City of Alexandria’s newest public art installation – Now or Never by Alicia Eggert – embodies the urgency of the “now or never” moment in both political and personal terms, and offers viewers an opportunity to immerse themselves in the possibilities inherent in these words.

For Now or Never Eggert will erect two monumental billboards that stand face-to-face across a narrow passageway—one demanding, the other refusing. From one perspective, NOW is on the left and NEVER on the right, but when viewers walk through the constricted space between them and look back, the relationship flips. Each sign will be supported by steel armatures reminiscent of roadside billboards. Overwhelming in scale, the signs rise far above the human body. Yet to read the words, viewers must lift their gaze—an action that evokes openness and possibility.

These monumental billboards in close proximity will create visceral tension through both language and form. The work aims to mirror today’s political climate, producing a charged space that feels confrontational and inescapable. Yet by inviting people to move physically between the signs, the installation underscores the possibility of finding common ground, even in polarized circumstances.