"Josef Zlamal - Sacrifice of isaac" Drawing

Artist Josef Zlamal (*1983) Only uncertainty is a reason for desperation, from certainty rises serenity even if this certainty be tragic. In my drawings I continually revisit themes of pain, human solitude, loneliness, dread, horror and death in diverse modifications. From time eternal these themes have been an inherent part of our lives and not just because they are the ultimate boundaries of life. Overall we are not confronted directly with our own finality to a great degree. A tangible fear for our own existence is rare and foreign to us. Instead we choose to frighten ourselves artificially. This substitute fear diverts our attention to a place that is devoid of thought. All has to be amusing, non-committal but only to those who admit it. Only then is it possible to work senselessly, to convulsively reject precedents and deny years of experience and tradition. My drawings are not created spontaneously but undergo a process of layering. They are repeatedly soaked in a water bath and subsequently scrubbed and washed out. Parts of the motifs disappear, the essential remains. They are full of citations and references ranging from medieval art to silent film and demand patience and close observation from the viewer. Only then does a series of narratives open up in small details. Not people but rather empty clothed vessels come to us from the other shore. They are expressions of absolute solitude. Horror and fear are not accompanied by screams but rather by silence.