We’re thrilled to announce our 2026 programme begins with a major solo exhibition of new work by London-based Italian designer Martino Gamper OBE.

This new commission is made possible with the support of Exhibition Patrons Tony Kerridge and Micheal Do and our Strategic Partner ECC, with accompanying public programmes supported by British Council New Zealand and the Pacific. 

This international project includes a new body of work created for Objectspace’s main Ockham Gallery, and an accompanying exhibition and publication conceived in collaboration between Gamper and designers James Goggin and Shan James of Practise, to be set within our Chartwell Gallery. An edit of the exhibition will travel south to Sir Miles Warren Gallery, our satellite space in Ōtautahi Christchurch, to open in mid-2026.

We look forward to sharing further exhibition details and public programming plans in the new year, and extend our gratitude to the collaborators and supporters backing this milestone project.

Read more about Martino Gamper below and visit his website here.

Martino Gamper OBE (b. 1971, Merano, Italy) lives and works in London. Starting as an apprentice with a furniture maker in Merano, Gamper went on to study sculpture under Michelangelo Pistoletto at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. He completed a Masters in 2000 from the Royal College of Art, London, where he studied under Ron Arad.

Working across design and art venues, Martino Gamper engages in a variety of projects including exhibition design, interior design, one-off commissions, and the design of mass-produced products for the cutting edge of the international furniture industry.

He is internationally recognised for his groundbreaking 2006 work 100 Chairs in 100 Days, which saw him systematically collect discarded chairs then spend 100 days reconfiguring the design of each one in an attempt to transform its character and/or function. Gamper’s practice challenges boundaries between design and visual arts – he is committed to finding new ways to engage with and activate design within our everyday lives.

Gamper was the recipient of the Moroso Award for Contemporary Art in 2011, and the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year, Furniture Award in 2008 for his project A 100 Chairs in 100 days. He was awarded an OBE in 2023 for services to Design.