The A-Zs of Mercurio’s ongoing exhibit

Alphabetical Art

Mercurio Gallery recites Victoria’s ABCs

Kym Hill says there are a lot of reasons she decided to open an art gallery, one being self-defence: when the goldsmith found out yet another ice-cream parlour was slated to open in the vacant storefront next to her shop, which she has been working out of for over 30 years, she decided it was time to take action.

“I couldn’t handle the idea of being stuck between very ethereal kinds of businesses,” she says. “We’re right near Government Street and it’s ticky-tacky like crazy down there. My feeling is that people are getting the wrong impression about what Victoria is made of.”

Hill set out to give the right impression and Mercurio Gallery was born. The small space—a former hotel lobby—harbours a diverse collection of work, mostly by local artists; everything from works by Victoria’s Limners artist collective to masks by Miles Lowry to Hill’s own jewelry.

“We’re living in the land of plenty here,” Hill says of Victoria artists. “I don’t have to go very far to find great stuff. My tastes are pretty eclectic and the work in the gallery is based on stuff that I’ve collected and bartered for and amassed over the years and that’s been augmented with more of the same.”

Mercurio is located steps away from the city’s premiere tourist promenade—something not lost on Hill, who has chosen to focus her exhibitions in such a way that they cater towards visitors in the summer months and locals in the winter. Her latest exhibit, Victoria Iconica III, showcases Victoria artists from J through M, with works adorning her walls by the aforementioned Lowry, Jake James, Flemming Jorgenson and others. She’s been working her way through the alphabet all summer and plans to pick up again next year.

“I like this idea for the summer because it allows me to show off to the tourists,” she says. “Often they’ll recognize one or two names and that gives them a sense of not being alienated, so they’ll come in and check it out and while they’re here they can see some of the other great stuff that’s going on.”

Not that these artists are all you’ll see in Mercurio right now. “To be quite honest, I’m not being religious about only having those letters in the alphabet,” she says. “It’s primarily what’s on the walls right now, but if you come by you’ll see it’s a bit of a broader expanse plus hints of what we’re going to be doing later on in the fall.”

Hill says she’s planning more in-depth, artistic-specific shows for the colder months, with a retrospective of the late Jack Wise, whose works were heavily influenced by Buddhist philosophy and Chinese brushwork slated for October and plans for a Limners show near Christmas.

“The gallery thing has been a bit of an eye-opener for me as far as the learning curve,” says Hill. “I’m not used to doing so much of the theatre end of it. The shows aspect I’m still getting a feel for.”

Seems like she’s on the right track.

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Victoria Iconica III: J-M
To September 30
Mercurio Gallery, 602 Courtney
250-388-5158 • mercurio.ca