Arnoldsche weekend art gallery #18. Martin Kargruber Sculpture and Ernst Gamperl Wood Artworks

Artist list

Ernst Gamperl, Martin Kargruber

Martin Kargruber is a sculptor who creates architecture and landscapes from a compact piece of wood. His reed tufts, field plots, and haystacks seem to be moved as if by magic—the artist masterfully succeeds in imbuing the rigidity of the wood with a soft, seemingly fluid movement. His stables, houses, and churches are also expressions of the artist's very own cosmos and, in their closedness, stand like metaphors in a world that is not readily accessible to us. In contrast, monstrous functional architecture such as transmission towers or power plants appear as isolated set pieces in a landscape redesigned by human hands, demonstrating our destructive intervention in nature and its vulnerability. Discover the work of this South Tyrolean artist, a virtuoso sculptor, meticulous observer, and silent storyteller in wood.

Ernst Gamperl has revolutionized the centuries-old technique of woodturning, sculpting fascinating vessels and object-sculptures from wood using a processing technique that borders on magic. Using the thinnest of wall thicknesses, he explores the static limits of the material and lets the wood work for him as it dries – transforming symmetrical vessels into asymmetrical, abstract, sculptural objects. Countless experiments with textures – for example, through waxing, polishing, brushing, or mineral pigments – create the finest light effects and surprisingly tactile surface structures. Above all, the artist's deep connection with nature and his great respect for wood as a material stand out. All of this results in works that, in their subtle elegance and sculptural expressiveness, present viewers with something never seen before. The work of the Bavaria-based artist can be seen in many museums around the world, not only in Germany, but also in France, Spain, England, the USA, Korea and Japan, where his work is celebrated in many exhibitions, and the famous fashion designer Issey Miyake was one of his greatest collectors and admirers.

Opening: Friday, November 7, 2025, from 6:30 p.m.
Preview: Thursday, November 6, 202,5, from 6:30 p.m.
Opening Hours on November 8 and 9, 2025, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.