Ernst Gamperl: Urkraft
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URKRAFT | ERNST GAMPERL
10 October - 29 November 2025 -
Ultimately, as Gamperl himself observes, these shapes speak to the primordial form (the Ur Figur) inherent in his chosen material of wood, and he recognises that he is essentially the intermediary between the ancient ‘generational’ medium and the modern viewer.
- Antonia BöstromSarah Myerscough Gallery is delighted to announce Urkraft, a major solo exhibition by renowned artist Ernst Gamperl that will inaugurate its new gallery space, a magnificent three storey-Victorian schoolhouse on 18 Balderton Street in Mayfair, London. Opening on 10 October 2025, this landmark presentation will be the first solo show in the UK dedicated to Gamperl, who has revolutionised woodturning by developing new methods that push the practice’s technical limits.
The exhibition will feature approximately 30 sculptural vessels turned from ash, oak, and maple. These new works mark a significant evolution in Gamperl’s practice, introducing what he calls his dancers—pieces with expanded, open apertures that push the limits of the material’s tensile strength and density. Alongside these are new slender, vertical sculptures mounted on metal bases, evoking the spirit of Giacometti’s figures in their poised, expressive form.
Three years in the making, Urkraft celebrates Gamperl’s unparalleled skill and deep material intelligence. Each sculpture is unique in tonality and silhouette, shaped through an intimate dialogue with the wood. Working as both artist and botanist, Gamperl treats the surface with natural elements sourced from his Bavarian homestead—using local clay and garden dust to create earthy, tactile finishes. His practice is a meditative exchange with nature, a choreography of form, time, and transformation.
The exhibition follows two major institutional shows in Germany: Ernst Gamperl – Project Tree of Life at the Bavarian National Museum, Munich (15 May – 5 October 2025), and Ernst Gamperl – Transformation und Bewegung (Retrospective) at Galerie Handwerk, Crafts Council Munich (27 June – 2 August 2025).
Coinciding with the exhibition, Sarah Myerscough Gallery is proud to announce the publication of Urkraft: Ernst Gamperl, the artist’s second monograph, produced in collaboration with 5 Continents Editions. The volume traces the artist’s 40-year career and includes contributions from Antonia Boström, Sarah Myerscough, Michele De Lucchi, and Frank Matthias Kammel. The gallery is a major sponsor of the publication and will release a special edition with a unique cover. A London book launch will take place in October 2025, featuring a conversation between Antonia Boström and Ernst Gamperl.
For more information about the exhibition, please email info@sarahmyerscough.com.
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