Ernst Gamperl, wood

12 September - 3 November 2003

Ernst's work speaks for itself.  It does not try to make a statement. It is a revelation rather than an assertion. It is very quiet indeed.  He creates his unique forms using the organic shapes offered by the wooden blocks he extracts from fallen trees. It is precisely the absence of ego that makes Gamperl's sculpture extraordinary.

flow is thrilled to be hosting Ernst Gamperl's  his first  solo show in England. His work is already widely exhibited in Europe and in Japan with great success.  Of particular note are the shows in Issey Miyake's Tokyo showroom designed by the leading Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban and   the exhibition in the Strennesse Gallery in Germany.  His work most recently appeared in Milan, at Michele de Lucchi's showroom during the Milan Furniture Fair  enhancing Gamperl's reputation amongst leading Italian architects and interior designers.

Ernst had become first interested in wood turning at the age of 17 when apprenticed to a cabinet maker. He studied woodturning under Prof. Gottfried Bockelmann and graduated from the School of Applied Arts in Hildesheim in Germany. He now lives in the most pictoresque mountain village above Lake Garda in Italy where his studio and house comprise a number of medieval rooms linked by courtyards and terraces.

His sculptures feature in numerous museum collections in Europe including the Hamburg Museum of Applied Arts, Fond National d'Art Contemporain, in Paris, Musee des Arts Decoratifs de Lausanne, and State Museum of Applies Art and Design in Munich. Amongst private collectors are: Donna Karan, The Queen of Denmark and King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.