Das Symbolthema

Der Begriff Symbol kommt aus dem Griechischen und bedeutet soviel wie zusammenwerfen, zusammenfügen. Das zeigt schon deutlich, dass wir, wenn wir von Symbolen reden, sie als sprachliche Äußerung benutzen, zwei Bereiche zusammenwerfen: etwas Konkretes und etwas Gemeintes. Ein Ring ist ein Ring und ein Zeichen für etwas: ein Symbol.

Und wenn dann Symbole Zeichen für Ideologien werden, geht es gar nicht mehr ohne Emotionen, kommt mir vor: im Zeichen des Kreuzes, des Halbmondes, des Hakenkreuzes, des Hammers und der Sichel wurden Menschen geeint und gegeneinander gehetzt.

Wie könnte sich ein geistiges, immaterielles und somit unsichtbares Wesen anders anderen Wesen sichtbar machen als durch ein Symbol ('Körper') mit Bedeutung (sprich: der Name, den man für diese aktuelle Existenz 'gewählt' hat) und mit dem man in diesem Universum, das durchwegs aus sehr realen Symbolen besteht, Dinge und Zustände aktiv verändern kann!
Das nennt man 'Identität' und ist etwas Willkürliches, Angenommenes.

In meinen Bildern begegnen dem Betrachter vergessene Erinnerungen an Natur, Märchen und archetypische Symbole, die ich in mir spüre und in der Sprache meiner Kultur ausdrücke.

Die ägyptische Überlieferung ist reich an Geschichten und mythischen Bildern - ein Schmelztiegel 7000-jähriger Geschichte in dem Überlieferungen und Bräuche aus der Pharaonenzeit, die ältesten formen des Christentums, unterschiedliche Richtungen des Islams und die moderne Zivilisation eine Synthese suchen für mich bedeutet Kunst die Spannung zwischen kultureller Herkunft, persönlicher, Entwicklung und interkultureller Begegnung zu ertragen und in meinen Bildern zu gestalten.

Für mich bedeutet Kunst auch, ein Weg der Verständigung in Bildern, der erlaubt ins Gespräch zu kommen....

Feel the freedom on your face

Artwork by Ehab Aziz

Clay Sculptures

Egypt Remembers

Film and Artwork by Ehab Aziz 2013
Voice: Soad Hosny, Ahmed Zaki and Shikh Imam
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's Address to the Israeli Knesset (November 20, 1977)
Poems: Salah Jaheen and Ahmed Fouad Negm

Freedom Must for Human Creativity

Dalai Lama
Artwork by Ehab Aziz

Without freedom, one’s creativity cannot bloom. Right to freedom is pivotal for the progress of any society. And for this, there should be a sense of global responsibility, a feeling of oneness for all beings.

The slide is not just confined to broader religious beliefs but deeper human values. The need, therefore, is to build efforts for promoting compassion and forgiveness.

Video Work

Landshut - Germany

Landshut is a delightful town just north-east of Munich. It is on the Isar River, and was once the capital of Lower Bavaria. The city was founded in 1204 and later became the residence of the dukes of Bavaria-Landshut in 1255.

Landshut at Night

Altstadt is the central stop in the old town, located in the non-pedestrianized part of Altstadt street. It is the hub of the network where all lines meet. There is also an Airport Bus straight to Munich airport which departs here.

"Landshut by bike"

Combine sportive activities with art and culture! Landshut is bicycle friendly and directly situated along the Isar river bicycle trail. Bike-rider`s hearts will beat faster here! Experience the charm of a real “feel good town". You encounter a well preserved impressive historic town center, romantically curved lanes, some things unique and some extraordinary. On your bike you conquer many of the historic highlights of Landshut, such as the Town Hall, the fassade of which became famous through the TV series “ Um Himmels Willen". You visit the court yard of the Ducal palace, the 1st. Renaissance palace north of the Alps, The Basilica St. Martin with the highest steeple of the world, made of bricks, as well as one of the biggest convents of the Cisterciens Order in the German speaking area, the convent “Kloster Seligenthal", these are just some of your stops on the bicycle tour. Doing sports makes you feel hungry, that`s well known – Enjoy as a part of your sportive trip the wide range of Landshut`s varied restaurants. Traditional pubs, lively street cafès and idyllic Bavarian open-air inns, called “Biergardens" are located in and around the picturesquely painted bourgeoise houses. Just close your eyes for a moment and enjoy our hospitality!

The notables have betrayed you

Animation by Ehab Aziz
Words by Abdel-Rahman El-Abnoudi

لأعيــــان خـــانوكي
سـارقين طين أبوكي
لعـــدوّك بــاعــوكي
ولإيــــد الــــزمــــن

Your sorrow besieges you

And your worries exhaust you

And why?

Why can’t you cry

The notables have betrayed you

Those who stole your land,

Sold you to your enemy

And did not look back

They sacrificed you and watched you

Being slaughtered

They laughed and left you

And went to get paid

They undressed you in their courtyards

And no one blamed them

They raised their ears 

And wore their bells

Your executioner is a lawyer

Your protector is a thief

What use are my words?

When you are a mute

Close your eyes and dance...

Artwork: Ehab Aziz

Words by Salah Jaheen

I love to live be it in a jungle deep.

Naked to wake, and naked go to sleep.

To live as beast, bird, man or even ant.

Life is so lovely even as a plant!

Close your eyes and dance... Keep your step light

Your partner is life herself, you are her night.

She'll love you as long as you step proud and tall

If once you look down at your feet... You'll fall!

I was first something, then something else became...

Strange are God's ways who Alone can take and give...

The trees lose their leaves and whispered my name.

"Something must die for something else to live".

Raise Your Voice

Artwork - Portrait by Ehab Aziz
Raise Your Voice by Mohamed Mounir

Raise your voice in song
We can still sing
And song is still so much part of our lives
Raise your voice in song, song is still possible

And if one day you feel you'll break

You must stand tall

Standing just as a palm tree stretching towards the sky

Don't be defeated, don't break down

Don't be afraid

Be a dream blossoming in the desert

Your song among the chorus shakes my joyous heart

Healing all my wounds

When you dance, I dance, I'm compelled to dance

Our dreams become intertwined

When you dance, I dance, I'm compelled to dance

Don't be defeated, don't break down

Don't be afraid

Be a dream blossoming in the desert

Raise your voice in song

We can still sing

محمد منير - علي صوتك

على صوتك بالغنى لسه الاغانى ممكنة, ممكنة

ولسه يامه ياما ياماه فى عمرنا

على صوتك بالغنى لسه الاغانى ممكنة, ممكنة

ولو فى يوم راح تنكسر لازم تقوم

واقف كما النخل باصص للسما للسما

ولا انهزام ولا انكسار ولا انهزام ولا انكسار

ولا خوف ولا ولا حلم نابت فى الخلا

على صوتك بالغنى لسه الاغانى ممكنة, ممكنة

غنوتك وسط الجموع تهز قلبى اللى انفرح

تداوى جرحى اللى انجرح

غنوتك وسط الجموع تهز قلبى اللى انفرح

تداوى جرحى اللى انجرح

ترقص ارقص غصب عنى ارقص

غصب عنى غصب عنى ارقص

ينشبك حلمك فى حلمى

ترقص ارقص غصب عنى غصب عنى ارقص

ولا انهزام ولا انكسار ولا انهزام ولا انكسار

ولاخوف ولا ولا حلم نابت فى الخلا

Egypt: Who says NO

Artwork by Ehab Aziz
Words by Amal Donkol

I said:
Let love be on earth, and it was not

I said:
Let river dissolve into ocean
Ocean into drought
Drought into fertility
Sprouting bread to sustain hungry hearts
Grass for the earth’s cattle
Shade for exiles in sorrow’s desert
I saw the son of Adam
Raising his fences around God’s personal farm
Shopping for border guards
Selling bread and water to his brethren
Milking lean cows

I said:
Let love be on earth, and it was not
Love was now possessed
By those who could afford the price
And God saw this was not good

I said:
Let justice be on earth
An eye for an eye
A tooth for a tooth

I said:
Does the wolf devour the wolf?
The goat devour the goat?
Don’t brandish the sword against the necks of these two:
The child or the old man
And I came to see the son of Adam
Slaughtering the son of Adam
Setting cities ablaze
Planting his dagger in the bellies of pregnant women
Giving his children’s fmgers as fodder to horses
Decorating victory banquet with rosettes of severed lips
Justice become death
The gun its measure
Its children crucified in public squares and city street corners

I said:
Let justice be on earth
But it was not
Justice was now possessed
By figures seated on thrones of skulls
With shrouds for mantles
And God saw this was not good

I said:
Let reason be on earth
With its measured voice

I said:
Do birds build nests in a snake’s mouth?
Do worms live in fiery flames?
Does the owl paint its eye-lashes black with Kohl?
Is salt strewn when wheat is intended
In the run of time’s wheel?
I saw the son of Adam go mad:
Uprooting tall trees
Spitting in wells
Spilling oil on the face river’s face
Living in a house while storing a deadly bomb
Under the sill
Giving shelter to scorpions in the warmth of his ribs
Bequeathing to his descendants
His faith
His name
His shirt of strife
Reason become an exiled beggar
Stoned by brats
Arrested by border guards
His patriotic identity invalidated by governments
His name listed among those who hate their homeland

I said:
Let reason be on earth
But it was not
Reason fell apart in a spiral of exile and prison
Until it went mad
And God saw this was not good