Abstract
Does silence exist independently or is it closely connected to, or only possible in relation to a human being? It would seem that its existence is clearly determined. Silence is only possible in the universe of speech.
Silence is an aspect of stillness produced by humans when they stop speaking, it is an absence of speech. A certain equivalent in this situation can also be an absence of speaker.
The absence of a human being can bring forth a feeling of silence. This is especially the case when we acutely sense his presence in this absence, in this perceived void.
This phenomenon becomes evident in Velisek's paintings of cleared tables, empty armchairs, vacant chairs... Silence of people is imprinted in the stillness of things.
Underneath an objective surface, they hide a pulsing stillness. The pictured objects are not new.
They are worn by usage which in turn points back to humans and their communicative potential, i.e. language. The paintings bring stories from the past stored deep in memory.
They nevertheless always reach the same outcome, a certain melancholy, a certain void where the past deprives us of concrete words in exchange for much more suggestive silent memories.