British Council New Zealand and the Pacific is proud to support a major solo exhibition of new work by London-based Italian designer Martino Gamper OBE, opening at Objectspace in March 2026. This international project includes a new body of work created for Objectspace's main Ockham Gallery, alongside an accompanying exhibition and publication conceived in collaboration between Gamper, Objectspace and designers James Goggin and Shan James of Practise, examining the influence of timber histories in Aotearoa.

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.

"British Council is proud to support the public programmes for this landmark exhibition,” said Natasha Beckman, Director, British Council New Zealand and the Pacific. “Supporting world-class design practice is central to our work in strengthening creative industries, and this collaboration between UK-based designer Martino Gamper, Objectspace and New Zealand designers exemplifies the international partnerships that drive creative sector growth. The public programmes will create valuable opportunities for communities to engage with innovative design thinking and cultural exchange.”

For Objectspace Martino Gamper presents Endgrain, an exhibition of new objects and furniture that sees the gallery reconfigured into a space for interaction and connection. Across a new body of work focused around chairs and tables, visitors to the gallery are invited to use the furniture for work, rest or play. Hosting a busy schedule of events within the space through the exhibition’s run, including live performance, talks and workshops, the public are also invited to book the space for their own purposes – be it for a rehearsal space, a family meeting or an organisation’s AGM. The exhibition will be made available for free, inhabiting the role of a community centre or church hall.

This new body of work is all produced using a timber designed by Gamper in collaboration with Italian company ALPI. The material is made from the waste stream of industrial veneer production through a process of dyeing, laminating, and compressing, Gamper and ALPI have created a newly invented timber – a reimagined material that possesses a new language of grain and colour not found in naturally grown timbers.

Endgrain also includes an accompanying project, conceived as a collaboration between Gamper, Objectspace and designers James Goggin and Shan James of Practise, that examines the influence of timber histories in Aotearoa. Presented as an archive of materials that explores the life of the tree, from its existence in nature to the politics of its production and use. At its heart Martino’s project speaks to the enduring qualities of a material as old as time.

Exhibition dates:

Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Opening Thur 26 March 2026 
27 March–31 May 2026
Objectspace, 13 Rose Road
 
Ōtautahi Christchurch
Opening Fri 17 July 2026
18 July–6 Sept 2026
Sir Miles Warren Gallery, 65 Cambridge Terrace
 

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. He is represented in Aotearoa by Michael Lett.

Objectspace is a public gallery dedicated to the fields of design, craft and architecture. Through exhibitions, events and publishing, the gallery celebrates the past, present and future of the Aotearoa material culture.

The gallery was established in 2004 after a working group of prominent local makers, art writers and curators identified a lack of support for applied arts. In 2017 an architecturally refurbished gallery on Rose Road in Ponsonby was launched. Once an industrial space, this building is now a national home for making practices. From Rose Road and a satellite gallery in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Objectspace delivers an annual programme of exhibitions, events, publishing and more, all celebrating the best practice and thinking in design, craft and architecture.

You can visit free exhibitions and attend events at Objectspace all year round.

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