Red Palm Trees (Framed)

Red Palm Trees, 2026

Acrylic on wood panel
30 x 42
Framed (Please allow 2 weeks additional lead time for framing)

About Kurt Pio

Kurt Pio was born in Cape Town in 1977. He completed his national diploma in Interior Design at Cape Peninsula University of Technology and had a brief stint in the industry. He then went freelance, assisting the Decor Editor at VISI Magazine. Thereafter he pursued his painting career and currently works full time in his studio in Cape Town’s CBD. In 2008 he completed a millinery course at Central Saint Martins College in London. Kurt was a finalist in the Spier Contemporary 2010, South Africa. In May 2011 Kurt moved to Amsterdam and completed a three-month Artist in Residency program with Open Ateliers Zuid Oost. Since then, Kurt has explored a variety of techniques and themes in the visual arts. He was selected to feature at the 2013 Turbine Art Fair in Johannesburg, the Edit[ed] shop for Wanted Magazine, in the Taj Hotel, five solo exhibitions, one at the trending Woodstock Exchange, one as the opening artist at the brand new Smith Gallery in Cape Town.
International Trend forecaster, Lidewij Edelkoort snapped up one of his artworks at Smith and installed it in her curated show titled Fetishism, at the Trapholt Museum of Modern Art in Kolding, Denmark. He went on to be the opening artist for the brand new Studio Dylan Thomaz in Cape Town. In September 2015 Kurt had his first international solo show at The Life is Art and Graanmarkt 13 galleries in Antwerp Belgium. He has also had 3 solo shows in 2016, 2017 and 2019 at Gallery Orange in New Orleans, USA, with the first show selling out on opening night.  He has also exhibited at the Affordable Art Fair in Singapore, Otomy’s Gallery in Melbourne, Australia, and Southern Guild Gallery in Cape Town. He has received considerable coverage in prominent local interior and lifestyle magazines in the past years, as well as in Belgium, German, Australian and USA newspapers, magazines and blogs. 

Artist statement

Subject matter and themes in my work often tie in with my subconscious reality.  

At times I’ve longed for getting in touch with nature and needing to feel grounded and thus painted large scale botanicals that are indigenous to my country, so I could explore this longing and get closer to it with all my being and reality.  I’ve painted champagne bottles that represent good times and celebrations for me and this tied into a real high point in my career, when I was experiencing sell out shows in the USA. I’ve studied and painted full moons to look at the energy and lack of energy I get during a moon’s cycle around the earth.

Then diamonds have been a strong theme for me in my work, with their hundreds of facets and sparkly allure.  These facets are like reflections of ourselves and parts of ourselves and our personalities.  Diamonds are precious stones, often used to represent a relationship bond, ie. an engagement ring or wedding ring.  Relationships have always been important to me.

A vast array of themes come and go and yet these themes somehow also always comment on or connect to some kind of trend happening in the world or society and so they have another life of their own apart from the psychological connection I share with them.

I’ve been drawn to crushed cigarette boxes and used up cigarette butts.  They represent a type of ‘after party’ or the mess left once a party is over.  They are used-up vessels that once were very important ingredients to a party.  Sucked up and spat out and extinguished and bent and crumbled up. is the “party" over? Is it time to settle down?

Lately I’ve been focussed on Cape Fynbos ocean themes and Table Mountain, these subjects ground me and calm me. and I’m optimistic to see where they take me.