Lars van Roosendaal / Erstarrt II

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

Erstarrt II is the second part of the Erstarrt series. The body of a naked male figure is bent forward, his gaze lowered – a posture expressing shame, withdrawal or grief. The man holds an oversized AIDS ribbon in his hand and seems to retreat into himself, as if to escape being looked at or to seek protection from the outside world. This inner paralysis points to emotional states that can result from early experiences of fear, misinformation or social stigma – particularly in the context of HIV.

The posture recalls depictions of penitent figures or religious motifs of remorse and solitude. This makes it ambiguous: between resignation and self-protection, between vulnerable introspection and perhaps also the strength to hold the AIDS ribbon consciously – as a sign of remembrance, care or solidarity.

Together with Erstarrt I, a dialogical space of tension emerges: while the first figure appears outwardly more dramatic, this second figure seems quieter, but no less intense. Together they reflect two ways of dealing with fear and isolation – expressive or introverted, explosive or still.

Part of a two-part series on isolation, stigmatisation and HIV-related fear.

First shown at Lars van Roosendaal's solo exhibition I Just Want to Be a Good Boy!, 2024, at Galerie Himmelpfortgasse in Vienna.