Haus der Kunst

Martino Gamper will be in residence at Haus der Kunst, creating a series of newly designed chairs, a development of his celebrated long-running project “100 Chairs in 100 Days”. During the run of the exhibition, the new chairs will be freely reconfigured by the public and the staff — to gather, to rest, and to play — turning the Mittelhalle into a vibrant, constantly changing social space. The reconfigurations will be based on a series of rules that Gamper will deliver at the beginning of the project, defining a choreography that will transform the appearance of the whole space weekly. Alongside furniture, Gamper will create a new light design that will change the atmosphere of the Mittelhalle from a usually transitory space to one of gathering.

Andrea Lissoni, Artistic Director, Haus der Kunst, said: “The Mittelhalle of Haus der Kunst is an extraordinary space. This collaboration between Martino Gamper and our curatorial and education teams gives us an opportunity to experiment with this important space, inviting everyone to be involved in literally creating their own space.”

Speaking about the project, Martino Gamper said: “For Haus der Kunst, the furniture will be made in a variety of ways including craft and industrial processes, using a huge range of materials. The chairs will be experimental, fit for purpose but imperfect, rather than products they are vehicles to explore seating as a sculptural object.”

The project highlights the path towards new forms of engagement and learning that Haus der Kunst started in 2023. It has been developed in cooperation between Martino Gamper, the curatorial team and the engagement and learning team at Haus der Kunst.

Martino Gamper (b. 1971, Merano, Italy) is internationally recognised for his groundbreaking work “100 Chairs in 100 Days”, which he embarked on in 2006 to systematically collect discarded chairs and to then spend 100 days reconfiguring the design of each one in an attempt to transform its character and/or the way it functions. Gamper’s practice challenges boundaries between design and visual arts. Constantly looking for new ways to engage with and activate design within our everyday lives, Gamper’s work sits across art, design, performance, and curation.

Curated by Emma Enderby with Hanns Lennart Wiesner.