SMITH a new contemporary fine art gallery opened its doors this week.
Located at the city’s inner heart, SMITH, owned by inspired photographer Candace Marshall-Smith and curator Amy Ellenbogen, is situated at 56 Church Street, part of the pedestrian-friendly zone of this artery now so synonymous with art, antiques and culture.
This is Kurt Pio our friend, and first exhibiting artist. Kurt is great. His art is great. He smells great. Come meet him, and us, at the SMITH opening night on the 25th of February. 56 Church street, Cape Town.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUFeDCUt_Zc&feature=youtu.be
Tell us where you are right now?
I am currently living in snowy America, pursuing my MFA at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Your childhood greatly influences your work, tell us more?
I spent most of my childhood in different parts of world, which I think opened me up to myriad belief systems and cultural societies. For me, the act of looking into different cultures from the outside, created a formative distance that contributes to the things I make today. I think feeling like you don't quite belong somewhere is an incredibly rich place to make work from.
Join us as we celebrate the opening of SMITH fine art gallery with a solo show by Kurt Pio on Wednesday 25 February from 6pm.
Pio’s ardent love affair with Cape Town is explored, expressed and communicated through his paintings and artistry. This particular body of work looks at materialising Cape Town as a globally recognised destination through a series of pieces that capture the colours, symbols and images that represent life in Cape Town. From the repurposing of Instagram images into thought provoking artworks to creating symbolic sculptures by overlaying surfboards with a variety of materials, Pio translates the fascination with objects of desire.
