HAMBURG.- Artist Ernst Gamperl’s “Tree of Life Project” comprises around 100 wooden objects - sculptural vessels in various shapes and sizes – made from the wood of a 230-year old oak tree. The series is the outcome of years of exploring both material and form. At the outset of his career, Gamperl already developed his signature artistic language – one that goes beyond the usual rules and conventions. He has radically revitalised the historical technique of woodturning, updating it for the present day. The Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg is dedicating an exhibition to the wood turner from 22 November 2025 to 26 April 2026 as part of the series “Contemporary Craft”, which showcases the work of contemporary craftspeople.

THE TREE OF LIFE PROJECT

The trunk of an old oak tree that was uprooted in a storm in Rott am Inn, Bavaria, in 2008, served Gamperl as the starting point for his extensive, ten-year project. To machine the mighty tree, which weighed around 33 tons, he expanded his workshop and designed new lathes. Gamperl sees his work as a “quiet, exploratory exchange with the tree”. He refers to the inherent power and wisdom of the trees as “primal force”.

Using specially developed tools, he pushes the material to its limits, deliberately incorporating, for example, the natural drying process of the wood as well as irregularities, cracks and fractures in the material. The primal force of the material is expressed in archaic, almost monumental forms, which at the same time take on a delicate appearance thanks to their thin walls. Further processing of the surfaces – for example with lime and iron oxide – creates a unique texture that gives each piece its individual character. In the exhibition, the half-hour documentary “Ernst Gamperl – Dialogue with Wood” by Niklas Goslar illustrates the artist’s working methods.

Ernst Gamperl (b. 1965 in Munich) discovered his fascination for woodturning during his training as a carpenter and proceeded to teach himself the craft. In 1990 he set up his first studio in the Allgäu region, and shortly afterwards he passed his master craftsman examination in woodturning at the Hildesheim University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Gamperl’s works have been awarded the Bavarian and Hessian State Prizes (1992, 1993, 1998, 2002) and the Danner Prize (1993, 1999), among others. In 2017 a work from the Tree of Life project received the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. The Tree of Life project has already been shown at the Gewerbemuseum Winterthur (2019), the Korean Craft Museum in Cheongju (2020) and the Bavarian National Museum in Munich (2025). Gamperl’s works are represented in private and public collections worldwide.

The exhibition series “Contemporary Craft” has been showcasing the work of important international artists and craftspeople since 2022. The aim is to raise the status and profile of craft in contemporary discourse while transcending the traditional boundaries between art, craft and design.

The exhibition is accompanied by the catalogue “Ernst Gamperl: Zwiesprache Dialogue”, edited by Ulrike Spengler and Achim Heine, German/English, 256 pages, 195 illustrations, arnoldsche Art Publishers, available in the museum shop for 48 euros.