Jaroslav Drazil is a visual artist whose practice is deeply informed by his personal biography as the son of a mother who fled the former Czechoslovakia in the 1980s. Having spent a significant portion of his childhood in transit and within refugee camps, Drazil’s work explores the psychological and physical core of movement, transition, and the inherent insecurity of the migrant experience.

His latest practice, ‘Strange Homeland’, serves as an exploration of "home" as an ambivalent and fragile state rather than a fixed geographical location. Within this series, the artist captures the tension of being "in-between"—navigating arrival and departure, belonging and estrangement. His work often features realistically painted figures set against reduced, graphic, or woodcut-like backgrounds. A recurring motif in his recent work, such as seen in his participation at NordArt, is the bus stop seat; a silent stage for those who are present but only temporarily, symbolizing an existence defined by waiting and constant motion. He describes his subjects as being physically tangible yet unlocated, caught in a visual field between stability and dissolution.

Drazil’s background as a mask maker for prestigious institutions like the Zurich Opera House informs his meticulous attention to the human form. His career is marked by significant highlights, including his major solo exhibition ‘Factum Est’ at the Martin von Wagner Museum and the ‘Strange Homeland’ project at NordArt. Recently, he was the winner of the ‘Kunst am Bau’ commission for the University of Würzburg for the project ‘Campus Kaleidoskop’. His work remains a condensed reflection of collective experiences, inviting the viewer to perceive home not as a destination, but as a continuous state of searching.

Education & Training

2003–2006

Ausbildung zum Kunsthandwerk-Maskenbildner

Akademie für Medien & Gestaltung, Baden-Baden

Ausbildung am Main-Franken-Theater Würzburg

2006–2018

Maskenbildner und stellvertretender Chefmaskenbildner

Main-Franken-Theater Würzburg

Opernhaus Zürich

Exhibition & Projects (Selection)

2025

Paralyzed, NordArt, Internationale Ausstellung für zeitgenössische Kunst

2024–2025

Kunst am Bau, Universität Würzburg, Gewinner der Ausschreibung

Realisierung Campus Kaleidoskop.

2024

Strange Homeland, NordArt, Internationale Ausstellung für zeitgenössische Kunst

2023

Neuinterpretation von Giovanni Battista Tiepolos Deckenfresko, Allegorien der Kontinente, Motel One Würzburg, Kulturpreis der Stadt Würzburg, Kulturkreis der Stadt Würzburg

2022

Factum Est, Solo Exhibition, Martin-von-Wagner-Museum Würzburg, Begleitend Museum am Dom und St.-Johannis-Kirche Würzburg, Kurator Prof. Dr. Damian Dombrowski

2021

Glut, Group Exhibition, Stadthalle Lohr, Ateliergemeinschaft Trias, Werkserie Village People

2020

Group Exhibition, Sudhaus Bürgerbräugelände Würzburg, Künstler*innenkollektiv Nomaden

2019

Von hier bis jetzt, Group Exhibition, Spitäle VKU Würzburg, Kurator Felix Röhr

2016

Prozesse, Group Exhibition, Posthallen Würzburg, Galerie Anne Busch, Köln

2014

Zwischenmenschen, Solo Exhibition, Foyer des Main-Franken-Theaters Würzburg, Kurator Prof. Dr. Hermann Schneider