URBAN JUNGLE

The gilt-and-wood Chinesestyle 19th-century screen contrasts with collectible antiques and contemporary artwork. The wall installation graffiti The Devil’s Dictionary, an arresting piece by artist Conrad Botes, adds intrigue to one corner

城市森林

這道鍍金木材中國風19世紀屏風與珍藏古董和當代藝術品形成悅目對比。藝術家Conrad Botes的懾人之作——塗鴉牆壁裝置

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Russell Kaplan has never been one to shy away from objects with a little bit of a history. A former antiques dealer and now the owner of an auction house specialising in fine art, antiques and collectibles, he has an eye for detail, a nose for hidden treasures, and an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of 20th-century design and contemporary art.

But the bricks and mortar of the city seemed intent on thwarting him. Around the turn of the millennium, Russell started looking for a new home in the heart of the historic CBD, when confidence and investments in Johannesburg’s inner-city were at an all-time low – and so were the property prices. This made it even harder for him to find what he was looking for. "At that point, you could only buy entire buildings," he recalls. "There were no sectional titles or rooftops – not even single floors."

To make matters worse, the surplus of old buildings, many of which had simply been abandoned by their owners, meant it was nearly impossible to get a mortgage. "You had to buy everything in cash," Russell says; this put most properties far beyond the reach of individual buyers. "In hindsight," he adds, not without regret, "they were going for nothing."

從不怯於購買背後哪怕只有丁點故事歷史的Russell Kaplan曾為古董交易商，現任專營上乘藝術、古董和珍藏品拍賣行的擁有人。他擁有對細節專注細心的眼光、尋找隱世珍藏的觸角，並對20世紀設計與當代藝術認識甚廣。

但城中的每磚每瓦卻好像硬要加以阻撓。千禧年期左右， Russell開始在中心商業地區尋找新居，那時候約翰內斯堡內城的投資處於低潮期，樓價亦同樣低落，令他更難找到心目中想要的家居。「你只能夠把一整幢大廈買下來。」他回想說：「不會分開單位或天台，想單買一層也不行。」

低處未算低，過盛舊樓大多被屋主棄置，即是幾乎沒有申請抵押貸款的餘地。Russell表示：「你必要以現金支付。」這令大多個別買家大為卻步。他補充道：「後見之明，這一切也白幹。」