Published 06 December 2023 in Press/News
Turbine Art Fair Editorial
Turbine Art Fair caught up with Paul Kinsly, owner of The Cliffside Boutique Hotel in Northcliff, Johannesburg—a space our TAF TRIANGLE MEMBERS had the pleasure of exploring. Paul graciously led a walkabout on his property, sharing insightful stories about his journey as an art collector. TAF is committed to spotlighting the concept of presenting art to enthusiasts and collectors beyond traditional gallery settings, aligning with our membership programs that consistently bring art directly to the public. Keen to delve deeper into his art-collecting journey, we engaged Paul in conversation over glasses of bubbly. It became evident that Paul shares a profound connection with the carefully curated works, a passion he shares with his partner, Noel. Within the five bespoke rooms at The Cliffside Boutique Hotel, guests encounter a captivating blend of vibrant pieces from emerging South African talents and refined abstract paintings, each holding a special place in Kinsly’s heart.
TAF: What art means to you?
Paul: “Having our home stripped clean of most of the art works accumulated over the decades, to be made available for viewing at The Cliffside, left us with what felt like a stark closed-in shell. This triggered the revelation that every piece of art was like a window opening another world, transcending a space into something way beyond the confines of its walls. A blank canvas personifies potential. Art is opportunity, to express anything, uninhabited by the usual restrains of perceived reality. From unfathomed emotion, exuberant passion, merely introducing a concept, or just to shock, there’s freedom. Unlimited freedom for the creator, and a piece’s audience, of which I’m most certainly only the latter.”
TAF: Why do you collect?
Paul: “Owning a piece of art, or at least access to it is like owning a dynamic experience, you don’t ever have to be parted from it. The experience itself could be anything from that, the piece inspires, the memory of its discovery, who you were with, a combination of these, or something else entirely, it’s art.”
TAF: What do you look for in an art piece?
Paul:” The beauty of art is it’s personal. Like attracts like and opposites attract. For me, it’s difficult to quantify, a mixture of colour, shape, balance, contrast, and a never-ending list of variables that formulate into something that stirs attraction of some kind but must at least appear to have a sense of skill and technical integrity. My battle is balancing creativity with mathematical ratios and balance, but ultimately something triggers, even if it takes a long time.”
Turbine Art Fair extends gratitude to Kinsly and his stellar team for welcoming our members. Consider making The Cliffside Boutique Hotel your destination for a December staycation.