VIENNA.- In raw, untamed forms, yet unmistakably devils, Sarah Ortmeyer’s DIABOLUS (PROTECTOR) take over the Carlone Hall, extending into the adjoining rooms where parts of the Belvedere’s medieval art collection are displayed. Ortmeyer’s protective figures emerge like timeless shadows, defying the generic while opening up new layers; each DIABOLUS is unique.


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General Director and curator Stella Rollig: Sarah Ortmeyer’s DIABOLUS (PROTECTOR) introduce an ambivalent tension to the Carlone Hall and collection of medieval art through their powerful, archaic presence. The protective devils are a reminder that the duality of good and evil exists not only as opposites but also as an inseparable force shaping the perception of the world and the self.

Across various indigenous and religious traditions, as well as medieval Christianity, devils and demons have been seen both as threats and protectors. Their grotesque forms express a universal duality—good and evil as inseparable forces rather than opposites.

Ortmeyer’s sculptures bring these familiar silhouettes into the physical world, transforming them into beings with presence and weight. No longer flat or digital icons, these protectors embody the complexity of the devil figure.

Sculpture and painting intertwine at the Upper Belvedere. Integrated into the collection, the DIABOLUS (PROTECTOR) paintings recall the format of portable altarpieces. Sparkling surfaces, layered with glossy glazes, echo the depth evoked by medieval oil painting techniques. A dark shimmer of the present—or a “Glitzi Future” (S.O.).

Sarah Ortmeyer: DIABOLUS (PROTECTOR)—the shadow reveals the essence.

Sarah Ortmeyer is an internationally recognized artist whose work moves beyond traditional categories of sculpture and painting, embracing unconventional forms of presentation. Her works are exhibited at museums, biennials, and institutions worldwide, featuring in important collections, such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Belvedere, and mumok in Vienna. She has published several books, including a comprehensive study on chess, politics, and aesthetics. Another work from the EMOJI SHADOW series is currently on show at MoMA in New York.

CARLONE CONTEMPORARY is an exhibition series that showcases contemporary artworks in the Carlone Hall at the Upper Belvedere. Artists engage with the Baroque pictorial program of the frescoes and build a bridge between the classical world of Apollo and Diana and the present.


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