Gil is a designer who is passionate about helping people to have a more playful life. His background is User Experience Design which helps to create products that people love to use. He co-wrote a cookbook that sold more than 30,000 copies about food you can take to work. In 2012 he co-founded ChattyFeet with Humberto De Sousa, a gift brand that brings a little fun into your day with quirky sock characters.
Your secret art venue when you seek peace and quiet
My secret art venue is Victoria Miro Gallery in London. I try to visit from time to time and check what’s on. I have seen so many good exhibitions there. The last one was Passage/s by Do Ho Suh which is still on until the 18th of March if you are in London.
The best food experience in an art space
Pharmacy 2 at Newport Street Gallery has an interesting medical setup with small sized chocolate cakes to keep you in shape. When visiting museums and galleries I actually prefer finding food experiences nearby. For example, after Victoria Miro gallery, you can walk to a really nice pub called The Narrowboat overlooking Regent Canal or if you walk 12 minutes from Tate Modern, the Anchor & Hope will treat you with earthy flavours…
A museum gift shop that you never leave empty handed
The Tate Modern shop has got it all: umbrellas, Lichtenstein cushions, books, a Warhol skateboard and even art socks by ChattyFeet! Simply irresistible. On the other hand, when you need to build a robot arm, just go to the Science Museum shop.
Your museum with a wow-factor
The Chichu Art Museum in Naoshima, Japan really made a big impact on me.
It’s a magical journey inside a futuristic concrete building. The “Open Sky,” light installation by James Turrell is truly meditative and lets your mind rest until it’s time for a cake with a sea view just outside their cafe.
Please share with us a special personal memory related to a museum experience
The smell of a pool filled with recycled engine oil at Richard Wilson’s 20:50…
The upper part of the space is perfectly mirrored on the oil, causing an optical illusion. According to the artist, one person actually asked him “how he could get downstairs”… Just imagine the sense of dizziness from the smell of engine oil combined with the optical illusion – it’s art that plays with your senses at its best.
