On Slaughter

For her second artist book, “On Slaughter”, Klara Hobza accompanies Markus, a farmer in the remote forests of Sweden, as he slaughters two sheep. In long conversations, Markus provides insight into his personal experiences, skills, and knowledge from a life dedicated to living with and off the land. He reflects upon memories of what he learned from stubborn old farmers and people in the Siberian wilderness. The first impression of the book is undoubtedly gained from the table of contents: The land; Bench; Knives; Sharpening; Whisk; Before we start; The killing; The skinning; The organs; Usage of intestines; The Slaughter will be finished now; Glue; Meat; […]. However, this book goes beyond an objective teaching on how to slaughter step-by-step. We learn of Markus' individual approach to farming, his keeping of animals—including the act of slaughter—as being an inherent part of a healthy ecosystem.

Today, we often lack knowledge or understanding of the act of animal slaughter. Industrial meat production is compartmentalized, and its products are detached from the killing process. By tapping into the traditions of the artistic genre of nature study and anatomy drawing, Klara Hobza highlights the inherent severity of the slaughter, while simultaneously allowing the process to be viewed with ardent curiosity and fascination.

“On Slaughter” can be seen as a valuable contribution to the literature of survival books and field guides. Klara Hobza adds a layer of the individual, subjective, and emotional experience, which she understands to be equally as important to survival as the objective, practical skills.
When asked how it feels to slaughter an animal, Markus answered: “Every time I slaughter, I think it's something, hmm … it's something … it's a feeling. The part where I feel nervous to kill the animal or something, that has long ago gone away … in a way. But I think the whole act in itself, with the taking off the skin and opening the body and seeing all this inside and … I think the whole act—as a whole—is kind of beautiful, in a strange way.”

Illustrations: Klara Hobza
Design: Astrid Seme
Texts: Transscripts and memories of conversations with Markus Vallien, edited by Klara Hobza Additional text: Friendship and Cannibalism, Preparing to feast on a hen, written by Till Krause and translated by Kate Vanovitch