Ernst H Eloff
South Africa

BIOGRAPHY


From humble and hands-on beginnings in Worcester – Eloff grew up on a farm where he spent a lot of time making things as a child – the designer went on to attend the Hugo Naude Arts Centre (where his final-year works were selected for an exhibition at the Iziko Museum). ‘I was immediately intrigued with the Cape Town art and design scene,’ he notes.

Widening his scope further after his studies, Eloff went on to work for his grandfather’s property business doing renovations – giving him a deeper understanding still of another side of the creative process, allowing him to channel his talents into interiors. During this time, he developed a lifelong love of furniture. ‘I would spend all my money buying used furniture from second-hand shops and auctions, this became a bit of an obsession,’ he says. He turned this passion into a business in the form of a furniture shop when he moved to Cape Town.

A couple of years on, he then partnered with another furniture dealer to start the Mid-Century Modern Showroom & Gallery focusing on mid-century, Bauhaus, Memphis Milano pieces, and various art. ‘I eventually started a workshop area in the back of the shop where I refurbished, assembled and fixed pieces,’ he says.


EXHIBITIONS


The Spectacle 2020.12.14–2021.02.28
Apartment X THEFOURTH 2020.09.15–2020.10.31

SELECTED WORKS

— Available Works