Just above the torso of an ancient bust hovers an incision-like line of sculpture that seems oddly like a wound.

A few steps away, a thin U-shape black loop curves out from the gallery wall with an almost musical effect.

The German artist Otto Bull’s line sculptures, delicate though they are, exert a powerful effect on their surrounding spaces, appearing like thin punctures in the air. 

Installation view of “Otto Boll: Found Objects / Viewing Tools” 2020. Courtesy of Dierking.

A number of his recent works are currently on view in “Otto Boll: Found Objects / Viewing Tools” at Zurich’s Galerie Dierking. Here, throughout two floors, Boll’s minimalist sculptures are subtly, though evocatively, juxtaposed with ancient artworks—shards of pottery, fragmented marble figures, and frescos—chosen by the artist from the collection of art dealer Jean David Cahn.

In some sense, Boll’s sculptures and the ancient works seem to collaborate: Boll’s suggestive works, not unlike a fragmented marble bust, leave room to envision what was and what might be.

On another level, the juxtapositions draws out a simple line’s ability to change perspective and perception. 

Installation view of “Otto Boll: Found Objects / Viewing Tools” 2020. Courtesy of Dierking.

“With his extremely minimalist works, sculptor Otto Boll, a twinkle in his eye, seeks a dialogue with the testimonies of past ages and cultures selected for this exhibition,” notes art historian Susanne Wedewer-Pampus in a text for the exhibition. 

Across time and cultures, the artworks seem to play a game of call-and-response that viewers see and hear at changing frequencies and angles as they move throughout the gallery.

Playful could be the best word to describe it. “The whole thing is supposed to be a conversation… on what the objects want from one another, what they have to do with one another,” as Boll put it.

See more works from the show below.

Installation view of “Otto Boll: Found Objects / Viewing Tools” 2020. Courtesy of Dierking.

Installation view of “Otto Boll: Found Objects / Viewing Tools” 2020. Courtesy of Dierking.

Installation view of “Otto Boll: Found Objects / Viewing Tools” 2020. Courtesy of Dierking.

“Otto Boll: Found Objects / Viewing Tools” is on view at Dierking, Zurich, through January 15, 2021.