Optimist Sculpture by Ottmar Hörl

Artist: Ottmar Hörl

Available in various colors.

Available in a signed edition limited to 250 copies per color.

The figures are set up in a surprising manner, one after another, in a loose sequence over several days and in mostly dissolved structures. Everyone can rearrange the little figures or take them with them and photograph them in new contexts.

“The aspects of the ephemeral and the nomadic play a central role here, as in all my works with serial sculptures for public spaces. I have abandoned the idea of creating works for eternity. I am interested in the idea of appearing and disappearing. The work I do as a sculptor dissolves again. People are invited to participate. And everyone who comes into contact with the installation is involved in a process of communication.” (Ottmar Hörl)

This shift to a new setting also highlights the ironic and subversive nature of the action: for is everything really “fine,” and is everything really “friendly” everywhere?

The photos uploaded under the hashtags #wertheimoptimist and #ottmarhorloptimist show it...

The design

Ottmar Hörl, a multidisciplinary German artist, is internationally recognized for his avant-garde style and his boldness in undertaking colossal projects. From sculptures and serial sculpture installations to photographs and conceptual objects, his goal is to offer a type of art accessible to everyone, notably by democratizing sculpture through the exhibition of gigantic and radical projects in public spaces.
Today, it is his “Ben” garden gnome, first presented in Cologne in 2005, that contributes to his great renown: his installations are regularly exhibited in European capitals.
Keen on the democratization of art, he uses simple materials such as PVC. Highly involved in the world of Fine Arts, he was one of the founding members of the Nuremberg Academy in 1999, of which he became president in 2005.
He has been awarded numerous prizes for his great creativity and his radical, bold vision for promoting the democratization of sculpture.
He is also a founding member of the Fomalhaut group, established in 1985: a design, art, and architecture studio where he contributed to the design of impressive pieces in collaboration with architects, such as Living Room: a contemporary residence in the medieval center of Gelnhausen, Germany.