Name: Haseeb Khalifa
Profession: Visual Artist / Painter
Nationality: Syrian
Current Residence: Munich, Germany
Art’s Journey in the Face of Destruction
Beginnings: From Damascus to the World
I was born in Idlib, Syria, when my family was visiting relatives there. However, from the beginning of my life, I have lived in Damascus, where I grew up amidst the old alleys of Damascus and its traditional colors, which instilled in me a boundless passion for art. I enrolled in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus University, where I was steeped in classical academies, but the painful war changed my path. I decided to leave, carrying my brush and my dreams with me, believing that art is my most powerful voice in the face of darkness.
Exile: Paintings Redefining Identity
In Germany, I found a new home for art in exile. I learned to combine my Eastern roots with European art techniques, creating a unique style that combines symbolism and expressionism. My paintings were not just colors on canvas, but testimonies of people’s hearts, thanks to God Almighty.
Nature as a refuge: In my works on the Bavarian forests, I transformed the paintings into a dialogue between the cold harshness of Europe and the warmth of Syrian memory.
Portraits as a bridge between cultures: I painted dozens of characters and families from the Balkans and Europe, translating their stories into portraits bearing my distinctive signature: pencil strokes, bold brushwork, and colors reminiscent of the German Expressionist school with Eastern touches.
Exhibitions and Achievements
“The Meaning of Love in Life” exhibition (Munich, 2017) – in which I embodied the human struggle between the emotions that developed during adulthood and the sound nature of childhood, and the distinction between right and wrong when controlled by desires.
Participation in the “Arts of Refuge” exhibition (Munich, 2016) – interactive paintings about the concept of “imagined homeland.”
Artistic participation in Marktschwaben
Artistic participation in the city of Ebersberg
2024 exhibition entitled: “Emotions of Life” (Die Emotionen das Lebens) in the Grafing Stadt
An exhibition in Glonn entitled: “Separated from Time”
And several exhibitions in several villages in the Kreis Ebersberg
Private portraits of public figures in Germany, some European countries, and the Balkans.
Some of my art exhibitions have been published in newspapers [Süddeutsche Zeitung]
[Ebersberger Zeitung]
[Grafenger Zeitung]
[Glonner Marktschreiber]
My Artistic Vision
I believe that art is the last thing to be taken away from a person. In my paintings, I try to transform pain into beauty, and alienation into a universal story. I draw my inspiration from:
Syrian heritage
(Damascene engraving, earthy colors).
European Expressionism
(especially Oskar Kokoschka and Franz Marc).
Nature is an existential philosophy. (My colors are the scent of Damascene jasmine mixed with the frost of Munich.)
