Ceramic bas reliefs by Alexander Schwarz

Cooperation with the ceramics studio Zoubair Selimi

Suite "Par le feu la nature se regénère toute entière"

All ceramics were designed by Alexander Schwarz and formed and modeled on a clay plate. Each work piece consists of several parts that are mounted on a plate after firing. The 20 ceramics shown here from the Atelier Zoubair Selimi were produced in a limited edition of 8 copies.

Reflections on my ceramic works

God, death, resurrection and immortality are themes that have occupied and concern mankind since time immemorial. Each religion has tried to find its own answer. Common to all religions is the message of peace and love. My ceramics, created in Tunisia since 2010, are an attempt to make visible the universality behind the various paths that religions and myths show us through scriptures, images and symbols.

More than ever, the human being of the 21st century is looking for a spiritual reorientation without dogmatic paternalism. The religions of the East as well as the three monotheistic religions, whose "holy scriptures" are today at the centre of intercultural debate, have made an important contribution to this topic. Art,too, cannot escape this challenge.

The strengthening of political Islam, the criticism of Zionism and the arrogance of Western belief in science require new cross-cultural approaches that bring humanity closer together. The dignity of the human being must not be at stake. If we do not reflect on values that we all share and advocate for peace, non-violence and the preservation of nature, the future of mankind on this planet is in great danger. The question about God is posed to the people of our time in a completely new light. The supposed antagonism between spirit and matter has largely destroyed man's balance between himself and nature.

In reflection on its own spiritual roots and history mankind has a new responsibility towards life. The universal acceptance of binding principles of life is the condition for a peaceful coexistence of peoples in order to ensure the continued existence of life. In our loving devotion to nature and to our fellow human beings we testify to our reverence for life and our responsibility for evolution.

Alexander Schwarz

Ceramic bas reliefs by Alexander Schwarz

Cooperation with the ceramics studio Bella Terra

In the Bella Terra workshop, all ceramics were made in different techniques such as raku-firing, glaze-firing or pit-firing. Most of the bas reliefs in raku firing or glaze firing are mixed techniques, to which sometimes metallic materials have been added. For these detailful and colorful ceramics several firings are necessary. All works shown here are inimitable unique pieces.

Thoughts on my artistic creation

The task of art is to change what is constantly happening to us, to transform all these things into symbols, into music, into something that can finally stay in man's memory. That is our duty. If we don't fulfill it, we feel unhappy. A writer or any artist has the sometimes joyful duty to turn all this into symbols. These symbols could be colors, shapes or sounds. For a poet the symbols are sounds and also words, fables, stories, poetry.

The work of a poet never ends. It has nothing to do with working hours. They constantly receive things from the world outside. They have to be transformed, and at some point they will be transformed. This revelation can appear at any time. A poet never rests. He always works, even when he dreams. Moreover, the life of a writer is a lonely one. You think you are alone, and as the years pass by, when the stars are on your side, you can discover that you are in the center of a vast circle of invisible friends you will never know, but who love you. And that is a tremendous reward.

Georg Luis Borges