Lars van Roosendaal / Erstarrt I

• 62.5 × 56.5 × 2.5 cm
• Fineliner and watercolour on paper
• 2024
• Framed

Erstarrt I is part of a two-part series of works that follows on from Van Roosendaal's Alien series. While the Aliens address his personal coming-out, the Erstarrt drawings condense the fears surrounding HIV – their portrayal in the media, emotional withdrawal, living on with inner tension.

The figure in Erstarrt I stands upright, yet has grown into the rocky ground and is bound by ropes bearing AIDS ribbons. These ribbons can be read both as signs of a spreading infection and as symbols of solidarity. The fully bandaged body recalls a mummification – an in-between state of healing and restriction. The helmet of air or water bubbles acts like a fragile membrane through which the outside world can barely penetrate. The raised hands are tied to a staff-like crossbar reminiscent of a crucifixion – a direct reference to Van Roosendaal's early photographic work Wer von Euch ohne Sünde ist, created for AIDS-Hilfe Wien.