‘Dad, there’s someone I feel sure you would enjoy meeting,’ my son Andreas said, ‘and I think you will find his place fascinating. He is an Australian called Peter Holmes à Court, and he is running the Afrika House in Karen’s Hardy Estate.’
So I went to meet with him. Yes, I very much enjoyed the talk, and his place is certainly fascinating.
Peter writes a good website, too. He says his Afrika House is ‘committed to the best of local design, a philosophy of lean luxury and to making it in Kenya’ I picked up the phase ‘lean luxury’ and asked Peter what he meant by it.
He explained that, for him, it is a nicely made chair, in a well-built room, with local art in front of you.
‘It’s not gold taps or gold toilets, as Trump thinks it is,’ he said. ‘Here it is a commitment to everything being made in Kenya. Everything you see here we made ourselves or with local designers and artisans.’
And on the issue of making it in Kenya – in the sense of making a living out of being an artist – Peter said that Afrika House is not an educational institution, a charity, a foundation or an embassy. But what he can do is recognise the quality of what artists produce in his place, tell them so, and build their confidence that they can go on to make it – often alongside a more reliable occupation.
However, Peter’s objective is not only to create a place where local artists are encouraged and supported, he also wants to be open to those tourists who are interested in learning more about culture as it is expressed by the works on display, the music played, and the discussions held at Afrika House.
‘Our guiding light is putting culture at the centre of travel experience in East Africa,’ Peter said. ‘We have the best weather, the best beaches, the best mountains – and the best wildlife. If you put contemporary culture at the centre of it, then visitors, as well as people living here, can have a phenomenal experience. And we also have this big booming, fascinating, exciting and always changing Nairobi. Of course, I realise that for a lot of people who come to Africa, the goggles that they put on – usually Out of Africa goggles – it’s mainly about the Big Five. They are people who go to fancy restaurants round here, wearing full safari outfits. They don’t know what other good things are in Nairobi. And some of the places they go to are still rather colonial in style. But for the small groups of foreigners who come, just as Kenyans who come here, it is important that they find a place that is both comfortable and exciting – especially if they have the chance to sit down with a few of my Kenyan friends.’
From its website and from what we were shown, Afrika House has two workshop spaces, for artists, writers, meeting makers and book readers. As a centrepiece, there is the Holmes à Court Gallery. And from what we heard, there are two main activities: exhibitions and events that the staff organise themselves and then groups that have become regular tenants – a book club, say, or yoga sessions.
‘Yes, it is built around the art and the art shows,’ Peter said. ‘One thing I have learnt in this business is that there are other people who have much better ideas than I have myself. People are doing things here that I could never have imagined. Activities come from people who see this place and say “I want to do this or I want to do that.”’
He answered by saying ‘Our market is not so big that we could just do one thing and be viable. And, for me, the most interesting room to be in is when you’ve got tech people, artists, dancers, social impact people and so on. They are people who want to be in the room. An artist doesn’t always want to be in a room just with other artists – he wants to sell his picture! So my title is Chief Convenor. As well as the groups that meet here, we don’t do parties – there are plenty of places round here where you can party – but we do lots of lovely dinners, lots of talks, lots of workshops. I’m proud of what we are doing here. And the nicest complement we have received came from someone who has travelled the world as well as going almost everywhere in Kenya. He said “This is the nicest place in Kenya where I have felt completely comfortable.”’
And talking of comfort, we saw the ‘lean luxury’ accommodation available – four en-suite bedrooms, two of them with balconies overlooking an extensive lawn with its mature trees. In all the rooms, there are paintings hanging on the white walls – hanging straight, which is important to the otherwise easy-going Peter.
His unusual and witty website tells us the story of the Holmes à Court Gallery. It is the third gallery to have this unusual name. The other two were established in Australia by Peter’s mother, Janet Holmes à Court. Her galleries are, as the website says, much larger, much more prestigious, and have been operating for much longer. Peter writes that he chose the name not because it is his surname, but because of his mother’s unpretentious approach to art— even art that is highly conceptual, avant-garde, and sometimes, when she began collecting it, profoundly underappreciated.
Peter tells us that some significant words are printed on the main door of his mother’s gallery in Perth, Western Australia: ‘I think art is nice’. He sees this as reflecting his mother’s unique approach to art — both exhibiting it and enjoying it. The same words are written large along the side of a container gallery at Afrika House.
One more thing I should say. Afrika House is a private place. If you wish to know more about it, then have a look at the website and Instagram. For a visit, make an appointment.
