Get Hooked by Martino Gamper

While the Hooked objects have a humble utilitarian function, they are also in essence a series of small sculptures; “You can hang a light object, a heavy object, a fragile object, anything that doesn’t want to stand on the floor or on a table, but the hooks also lend presence to the room, they transform a wall” says Gamper.

“You can hang a light object, a heavy object, a fragile object, anything that doesn't want to stand on the floor or on a table, but the hooks also lend presence to the room, they transform a wall.”

The set together is a celebration of shape; a sampler for Gamper’s larger compositional works. Each hook is cut from sheet aluminum and anodized in a selection of iridescent colors; red, blue, yellow, purple, and green. The forms speak clearly of their making; their sliced and carved outlines are reminiscent of the process of cuts and insertions that is very characteristic of Gamper’s way of working, recontextualizing and reimagining shapes.

The simple hook is ubiquitous and democratic, found in different cultures, different contexts, and can be made in many materials using many techniques. Reflecting on the process, Gamper says; “Designing and making Hooked was about further exploring the typology of hooks that has interested me for some time. Hooked is idiosyncratic and appealing, both functional and decorative. These are simple objects, but complex in their details.” For Gamper, the tension between function and aesthetic is made abundantly clear in Hooked, a series that plays with the idea of ornamentation whilst also being unapologetically functional.

The Hooked series revels in dramatic shape and searing color. It is intended to bring maximal impact to a minimal wall surface. Each Hooked set consists of five hooks with 25 signed and numbered sets.