Margret Wibmer: Art-Props & Works | Slotpresentatie van de tentoonstelling 'Collecting I: Bridges'

At The Merchant House: Slotpresentatie van de tentoonstelling 'Collecting I: Bridges' centered on the collection of Christopher Springham FRSA.

Artist Margret Wibmer in the spotlight – on view from Friday, 5 September through Sunday, 28 September 2025.

Artists in the collection of Christopher Springham – now on view at The Merchant House:
Tony Andreas, Sylvie Bonnot, Peter Blake, Jim Dine, Tracey Emin, Elizabeth Frink, Barbara Hepworth, Damien Hirst, David Hockney, John Hoyland, Jasper Johns, André de Jong, Robert Longo, Henry Moore, Robert Motherwell, Julian Opie, Robert Rauschenberg, Bridget Riley, James Rosenquist, Christopher Springham, André Stempfel, Mary Sue, Donald Sultan, Dilruba Tayfun, Elsa Tomkowiak, Margret Wibmer, Jean-Charles Wundele, Zhu Hong, Banksy.

Multimedia artist Margret Wibmer and collector Christopher Springham FRSA first met at The Merchant House (TMH) in 2021. Since then, their shared commitment to socially engaged practice and feminist themes has nurtured an ongoing dialogue on art and friendship. Following Wibmer’s sold-out Salon d’Amour performances at TMH in July 2025, and culminating the exhibition Collecting I: Bridges centered on Springham’s collection (currently on view at TMH), we proudly present the first display of Wibmer’s ‘art-props’—delicate, hand-stitched masks and wearable sculptural textiles created within the framework of her performances—alongside other works.

The installation of Wibmer’s ‘art-props’ is part of Springham’s broader collecting endeavor, which situates socially urgent inquiries within the work of leading women artists such as Tracey Emin, Elizabeth Frink, Barbara Hepworth, and Bridget Riley. Through Wibmer’s contribution, the corporeal experience of the collection gains a compelling new dimension. Her work evokes the physical immediacy of theater, particularly as these textile objects—imbued with the imprint and aura of the body that wore them—remain on view after the performances have concluded. This focus heightens the emotional resonance of the physical encounter with art. At the same time, it unexpectedly invites us to revisit the Springham collection online (www.kunstmatrix.com/en/the-bridge-gallery), to draw comparisons and uncover contrasts, perhaps arriving at a deeper understanding of presence and presentation. Wibmer’s works transcend the scenographic—they are active invitations to reimagine shared spaces: to reconsider what it means to don a mask or take shelter behind one, and to reflect on love when prompted (as in her Salon d’Amour event, where participants read love letters to one another while wearing her masks). As the artist herself reflects: “Across diverse media, my practice explores the interplay between bodies, objects, and spaces. By drawing upon ambiguity and chance, I create fleeting realities that connect us to the world and to others—addressing fundamental themes of love, compassion, and death, while responding to the urgent ecological, political, and social challenges of our time.”

At TMH, Wibmer brings into focus the vital creative relationships between artist, collector, and gallery—bonds that are inherently multidisciplinary. As Wibmer’s practice not only charts but actively embraces this growing multidisciplinarity, she offers a poignant meditation upon it. At the same time, she extends something immediate to us, her viewers: a mirror reflecting our contemporary search for how we live and engage with art.

Margret Wibmer (b. 1959, Lienz, Austria) is an international visual artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, video, photography, and participatory performance. Following formative years in New York—where she worked as an assistant to Sol LeWitt and alongside artist Kazuko Miyamoto—she settled in Amsterdam, developing a distinctive and singular body of work. Textiles play a central role in her exploration of identity, care, and collective memory. Her work has been presented at leading institutions including Palais de Tokyo (Paris), RMIT Design Hub (Melbourne), Oude Kerk (Amsterdam), Capital C (Amsterdam), Nishida Kitaro Museum (Japan), and KAI 10 – Arthena Foundation (Düsseldorf). Her publications include monographs and artists’ books published by Kerber Verlag and VfmK. Wibmer currently lectures at NAFA (Singapore) and serves on the board of the Institute for Cultural Activism International (ICAI).

Christopher Springham FRSA is an art collector and entrepreneur with a thirty-year career in the sector…