Martino Gamper

Born in Merano in 1971, Martino Gamper, after an apprenticeship as a carpenter, studied sculpture and product design at the University of Applied Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, before moving to Milan in 1996 to work as a freelancer for leading international design studios. In 1998 he relocated to London to pursue a master's degree at the Royal College of Arts, which he completed in 2000, thus beginning his creative output — developing and producing a wide variety of objects, from limited editions to semi-industrial productions and site-specific installations. His work has been exhibited in numerous exhibition spaces and museums, including the V&A, the Design Museum, Sotheby's, Nilufar Gallery, Oxo Tower, Kulturhuset/Stockholm, MAK/Vienna, National Gallery/Oslo, and many others. In 2009 alone, Gamper exhibited at Feierabend at Kate MacGarry Gallery in London, Gio Ponti Translated at Nilufar Gallery in Milan, and SuperStories, the triennial of contemporary art, fashion and design in Hasselt, Belgium. Gamper has always been deeply interested in the psychological and social aspects of design. By transforming discarded pieces of furniture found on the street, Gamper has created a highly distinctive and dissonant family of objects. Behind each of Gamper's creations lies a story that speaks of materials, techniques, people and places. The finished product is a synthesis of all of these.