Symbols

Symbole sprechen, ohne zu erzählen.
Sie wirken unmittelbar, verdichten Bedeutung und bleiben im Gedächtnis.

An der Wand entfalten die Symbolbilder eine besondere Präsenz. Sie ziehen den Blick an, setzen bewusste Akzente und verleihen Räumen eine sehr persönliche Note. Ihre Wirkung ist offen: Sie laden zur Deutung und Gesprächen ein, ohne sie festzulegen. Gerade dadurch entstehen Bilder, die in unterschiedlichsten Umgebungen funktionieren – im privaten Wohnraum ebenso wie in Ateliers, Gesellschafts- oder Arbeitsräumen.

Alle Motive sind auch auf handgefertigten Eisenplatten erhältlich.

Learn more about presentation on handcrafted iron plates: On Iron

The Symbols body of work is devoted to central motifs of Christian visual tradition, translating them into a contemporary form of Christian symbols in modern art. At Atelier Wonnereich, these motifs do not appear as narrative illustrations, but as condensed visual signs that leave space for personal perception and interpretation.

The symbolic works draw on archetypal imagery: for example, the dragon as a symbol of evil, the fortress as a sign of protection and liberation, spheres as expressions of movement, vibration, and harmony, and the flame as an image of strength, devotion, and transformation. Rendered in red document ink, these motifs are reduced, clear, and compelling—non-illustrative, focused instead on form, line, and meaning.

The red ink functions as a deliberate expressive medium. It does not point to drama, but to decision, consequence, and inner intensity. Lines, concentrations, and open spaces form images that do not explain themselves, but act through presence. It is precisely this restraint that gives the works their particular tension.

Many of the symbols can be associated with a saint of one’s own choosing, opening up individual fields of meaning. In this way, the works invite personal interpretation without losing their formal clarity. The symbolic images unfold with particular intensity when mounted on carefully controlled rusted iron plates, which lend the signs additional depth and a powerful material tension.

As Christian symbols in contemporary art, these works are intended for spaces in which images are allowed to be more than decoration. They catch the eye, set deliberate accents, and give modern living, social, and working environments a distinctly personal character—quiet, focused, and self-contained.

More about the artistic approach and the work of the atelier can be found on the page About Atelier Wonnereich.