Lebanese artist pays tribute to leaving a life behind
Lebanese artist Yazan Halwani’s mural in Mannheim, Germany, aims to display the mobility of his country’s youth.
Drawn over a five-story apartment building in Mannheim, Germany, Lebanese artist Yazan Halwani’s mural shows a young bearded Arab man packing his suitcase. His eyes are closed but his hands are quick and determined as he folds clothes into a suitcase. The artwork is called “The inevitability of leaving things behind.”
“I think a lot of Lebanese who would see this think of sad moments — such as watching their parents, siblings, friends or even themselves packing up and leaving the country for an indefinite amount of time,” Halwani, 24, told Al-Monitor after he finalized the mural at the end of June.
Born and based in Beirut, Halwani is known for his murals and paintings that explore cultural identity. He uses Arabic calligraphy in novel forms, breaking down the specific measurements of traditional calligraphy to create pixel-like figures that merge into the mural.
In the last five years, the artist has painted portraits of well-known figures such as Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, Lebanese singers Fairouz and Sabah, and Samir Kassir, the assassinated Lebanese journalist and historian. Some of Halwani's previous works include "Eternal Sabah" in Hamra and "Fairouz" in Gammayze, both in Beirut, and "The flower salesman" in Dortmund, Germany.
