Reto Boller’s work brings color off the surface and into the viewer’s space, hovering somewhere between painting and sculpture. Boller creates works in the studio and pairs these with large wall and floor paintings made on-site, producing an environment in which colors and tones seep into the room and envelop the viewer.

On first sight Boller’s studio pieces and the larger work created on-site seem to have little in common. The work made in the gallery uses large swathes of red adhesive that create a soft, subtle glow in the reflected light. Eschewing conventional canvases, Boller creates his studio paintings on thin sheets of aluminum, which often appear to be attached directly to the wall. For some of the works in this exhibition Boller has poured colored acrylic lacquer over the aluminum, rarely using a brush.

The contrast between the sharply delineated patterns and textures of the studio pieces and the delicate color effects of the on-site work create a unique visual tension. While sometimes hinting at representation – landscapes, body parts, architectural objects – Boller’s paintings exude a sort of pure materiality and emphasis on surface often associated with minimalist works. By calling into question painting’s traditions, Boller’s work occupies a position – between surface and space, between painting and object – that establishes a discourse about art.