EMERALD CITY
The Cape Town apartment of artist Kurt Pio is a high-octane rollic of sassy colour and statement graphics
Artist Kurt Pio’s Cape Town apartment is filled with statement colour and graphics
Kurt, why did you set your heart on this space?
I was looking for an apartment with a roof terrace or a rooftop garden, and the space attracted me because of its proximity to everything – I can walk to my studio, there are great bars and restaurants nearby, there’s even a bicycle lane right in front that takes me to the promenade in seven minutes. It ticked everything on my wish list: two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a bathtub, which was one of the most important things.
Did you tweak the layout at all?
no, some minor carpentry changes aside, I’ve kept it exactly as it was when I moved in.
Take us through the floor layout...
Most of the living space in here is open plan. as you walk in there’s a stairwell to your left that takes you up to the rooftop garden terrace. To the right is the guest bedroom and bathroom. From the front door you walk straight into the dining room and kitchen and it opens onto the living area. Just beyond that, large concertina doors take you out onto the balcony which runs the full length of the apartment.
You’ve worked in a super intense colour palette – was that a knock-on effect from your work?
It was pretty instinctual. My home reflects my work. I was inspired by a surfboard that I had painted malachite green two years ago – and it just stuck with me. as did the green of the large emeralds that I painted for another exhibition. The citrine yellow is something new. It’s an egg-yolk shade and is quite similar to that of the Veuve clicquot champagne branding. gold is also very prominent in my work. I’ve been making a series of abstract paintings that are either gold with emerald green or gold with pink; I love how the two
play up against one another. I also happened to make some surfboards two years ago for a show in Cape Town and they were gold-leafed. one of those surfboards remains in my home. every time I do a series I generally keep back one painting and that’s always in my home. My mother hates the gold curtains in the main bedroom, but I love that it’s fun and easy going. I think I totally get away with it.
You play with scale a lot. What was the process there?
I think it’s just what I do. as with the gems, I love the idea of taking something that is small and enlarging it, because it becomes quite abstract. I also played with mirrors, which expand the space and brings light to darker areas. I often take the mirror from floor to ceiling, as you can see in my lounge area. Then there are smaller mirrors that are just scattered around the apartment. There’s also a very large Victorian one in the main bedroom.
Art really is such a central force in your life, but it isn’t where you started.
I studied interior design and loved it, going on to join a small architectural firm. I hated every minute of it; I lasted six months and had full depression. I moved back home and the only thing I could do, and felt like doing, was to paint. It was a kind of therapy. so I started to paint in my mom’s garage and slowly but surely one person commissioned me to do something, and then another. since then, the highlight has definitely been my first solo show in america. Two hours into opening night the gallery owner came and whispered in my ear that I’d just sold out.
What informs your creative process?
I love to travel. It’s something that I’ve always done. and it definitely does help with my work. sometimes it just helps me to get away, get a new perspective. It’s great to get the different visuals, to look at the window displays in new York, London or Tokyo and see the things that stick out for me. There’s synchronicity when I’m dabbling with something and then I see it repeatedly. I know this is definitely something I need to focus on and use in my work.
How do you live in this space – calm, private enclave or urban party pad?
My home is definitely a bit of both. I am a bit of a hermit, a recluse. I love to be alone, but I also enjoy socializing. I love having friends around. I got rid of my dining room table and I replaced that with two café tables, purely because I don’t like to cook. I never have friends round for dinner. The idea of having a kind of café or nightclub feel was more important. I can work here during the day and at night they turn into bar tables. so the home definitely lends itself to socializing, it has great open-plan, indooroutdoor vibes. But at the same time
I very much enjoy my own company.
Where do you get your furniture from – is it vintage, second-hand, or do you tend to go out and buy new pieces?
I go through phases; as I evolve I also change my home. The initial idea was to have this as a lock-up-and-go but since I have 97 pot plants now, there’s definitely a degree of maintenance. But the furniture is a mixture of things, a little bit of old with new, vintage mixed with contemporary pieces. The café tables were bases that I chose and then had black marble tops custom made. other pieces, like the set of shelves, have come with me from my last two homes, but they’ve changed colour in each home. The massive antique chest of drawers that’s in my bedroom has lived with me in three different homes. I love them. The drawers are heavy and hard to open and close, but I use them daily and I would never get rid of them. The French gilded chairs have also travelled with me for a while. They were maroon velvet, so I just updated them with painted canvas. There are some african pieces that have also changed. They also get a lick of paint to suit the new environment.
My previous home was Victorian so when I moved into this home I had to get rid of most of my furniture except the real stand-out pieces, such as the chest of drawers and the French furniture.
I had to start from scratch – and that was pretty cool, having a clean slate that allowed me to play with the new pieces.
What you’ve created here is part chic Parisian cafe, part seductive New York rooftop club. What are your rules for midsummer party alchemy?
I’ve purposefully set the kitchen up to look like a bar counter, with the copper mosaic and large mirrors creating the feeling of expanse. I love the idea of coloured glassware – amber, green and gold – for wine and cocktails, it’s a bit of fun. Lighting is really important and I like to change it up so that it feels different each time using floor, wall and overhead lighting as well as smaller lights hidden on shelves. adjust the amount of light based on how many people you’re entertaining. The dark wall and ceiling colour immediately gives it that nightclub feeling. My apartment is so bright during the day that it can handle those darker tones. during the day it appears as a navy blue, at night it’s dark green. also, I have a serious love for indoor plants. They bring life into a space and I contrast their colour against the walls to create a more dramatic, layered effect.
So, what’s next for you?
I’m gearing up for my second solo show in america. There will be some paintings of diamonds, possibly champagne bottles, and some paintings of large-scale us dollars. really, just playing with colour again.