The perfect photo op
Club Kloof owner Michael Carter and local artist Githan Coopoo talk about their collaboration
CLUB ART is an initiative that blurs the boundaries between art, food and design. As one of the restaurant’s owners, how do you envision this collaboration?
Michael Carter (owner): An immersive customer experience is the focus with Club Kloof — food is a huge part but there’s more we can do to elevate the experience. Colour, smell, music and subtle unnoticeable touches in the restaurant stimulate the senses to evoke emotion and memorable experiences. Art forms a huge part of the experience — inspiring us, driving the narrative and setting the right tone. We love the idea of using the walls as a gallery. The concept isn’t new but we’re having a lot of fun with it, and who doesn’t love a photo op?
What style of art do you see in the space?
MC: We’re creating the concept of this project as we go, and that’s part of the excitement. But if we had to define a style now it would be “fun”, not serious and tonally cheeky — Githan embodies everything we want to support going forward.
How will the rotation of CLUB ART artists work?
MC: The artworks will be up for three months. One piece will be owned by Club Kloof and the other two are available for purchase through the artist. After the three-month period is over, buyers will be able to collect their pieces, and we repeat.
As an artist, what attracted you to the project?
Githan Coopoo (artist): Michael, the co-owner. As a supporter of my work in the past, he understands how I think. He embraces my practice and understands me. The process of sharing something new is deeply vulnerable, and I wouldn’t have done it without confidence shared and given by another. Michael has put a lot of love into this project, and I’m grateful for that. Club Kloof, as an institution, isn’t scared of being loud, and I admire that. I’m often fearful about making too much noise — then I remember who I am. It’s a privilege to be the inaugural CLUB ART artist. I look forward to seeing how patrons of the space engage with my work there.
A recent Financial Times article spoke of your work as “a joyful mash-up of pop culture, mythology and queer references that swing from humour to tragedy to social commentary”. What inspires you to keep creating?
GC: I never fully understand myself or others. There’s a deep longing to continue unearthing universal synergies through my work and creation. The act of making is my most consistent grounding in the world. In that way, my practice has become a personal mythology that continues to make sense of and give greater meaning to my life. James Baldwin and the Kardashians, fashion and the lack of real fashion in the world at present, 11-year-olds obsessed with Retinol. We can find humour and introspection in everything.
About the three pieces you selected for the space ...
I’m sharing new paintings that embrace a genre I’ve created or, rather, they’ve created in being made: “photo-op painting”. Youth culture has seen contemporary gallery spaces being turned into studios for photoshoots. That’s incredible. I love that this is a new form of access and art engagement brought on by technology and the need to produce an archive.
Far from the classical masters, whose works required a pilgrimage to witness, you could say these three paintings for CLUB ART are created to be viewed through a camera lens. Almost like backup dancers on the wall, they were made for the perfect photo opportunity, to make you feel like the best version of yourself. I believe in greater access to art and artists’ practices — in a less rigid industry with fewer elitisms, both academic or otherwise. I believe in art as a modality of healing.
Your thoughts on the dining experience as a means of escaping into another world for a few hours?
Dining has to be more than sustenance. It’s supposed to be a transformative experience, a brief escape from your normal life, a place to dream, create a memory, have fun and express yourself. Close your eyes for a second and take in the vibe.