(Left to right) Richard Wentworth and Martino Gamper.
Artists on Artists: The Physical World, with Richard Wentworth and Martino Gamper
23 July 2026To mark the the gallery's 15th Anniversary group show Rumours, our new series Artists on Artists: The Physical World opens the floor to artists in the show discuss the physical materiality of the works on display as well as the processes of their making. On this occasion, we hosted an evening conversation between Martino Gamper and Richard Wentworth.
Martino Gamper, an Italian-born artist designer based in London, widely known for his 100 Chairs in 100 Days, has a piece in the show entitled Square Hole 2 #01,2013. A specialised wood working machine used to cut square holes into wood called a mortiser was the starting point. The chair evolved from the idea of using a square hole as a connection. Logic dictates that you cannot drill a square hole and after many years of thinking that this indeed was the case, Martino was happy to stumble upon the mortiser.
Richard Wentworth, artist, curator and teacher, is placed opposite Gamper in the show across the landing, with his work Today, 2026. It consists of Four invitation cards from the gallery's archive of scanned postcards featuring a sculpture by Wentworth from 1983, and assorted nails and screws. He says of the work, "Perhaps all craft work and all skill is bound up in an interwoven comedy of material culture, where something coming from somewhere is going somewhere else in the company of fresh companions.”
Martino Gamper, an Italian-born artist designer based in London, widely known for his 100 Chairs in 100 Days, has a piece in the show entitled Square Hole 2 #01,2013. A specialised wood working machine used to cut square holes into wood called a mortiser was the starting point. The chair evolved from the idea of using a square hole as a connection. Logic dictates that you cannot drill a square hole and after many years of thinking that this indeed was the case, Martino was happy to stumble upon the mortiser.
Richard Wentworth, artist, curator and teacher, is placed opposite Gamper in the show across the landing, with his work Today, 2026. It consists of Four invitation cards from the gallery's archive of scanned postcards featuring a sculpture by Wentworth from 1983, and assorted nails and screws. He says of the work, "Perhaps all craft work and all skill is bound up in an interwoven comedy of material culture, where something coming from somewhere is going somewhere else in the company of fresh companions.”