An artist profile on Mercury
MERCURY HAD ALWAYS BEEN DRAWN TO THE ARTS. FROM A YOUNG AGE, THEY KNEW THAT THEY WANTED TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT WOULD INSPIRE OTHERS AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. AS THEY GREW OLDER, THEIR PASSION FOR THE ARTS ONLY INTENSIFIED, AND THEY DEDICATED THEMSELVES TO PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT WAS POSSIBLE. CHECK THEM OUT AT ART MANIFESTATION ON MAY 13TH IN HARTFORD CT
CAFETERIA MEDIA: You are still being young but you're experience and work in a variety of artistic disciplines is captivating. Would you be willing to share a bit about how you've evolved as an artists and where you find yourself in your practice now?
MERCURY: To be young is to be curious. It's a state of mind available to everyone. I try to stay in it as much as possible and I think that's what you're noticing in my work. I have a hard time with repetition & routine so I tinker a lot. My practice is about being present and letting intuition guide my hands.
CAFETERIA MEDIA: You are an example of an artists whose work started here but took you far away in your search to grow what you do, but now you are back in Hartford. What has it been like creating back home?
MERCURY: It feels good to be in Hartford. As a creator there's a kind of freedom here that isn't really afforded in bigger cities. More importantly, I feel supported here. There's a depth of understanding that can only come from my community. I don't take that for granted.
CAFETERIA MEDIA: You collaborated with First Night Hartford on a major piece a year or so ago, could you share more about that work?
MERCURY: The piece, Ancestor In Progress, is a 5ft pedestal made to resemble the empty christopher columbus pedestal that sits in front of the capitol building in Hartford. I'm a student of history. I know what happens when vacuums are created. It's the community's responsibility to fill this vacuum. The pedestal is meant to give people a vantage point to what is possible.
CAFETERIA MEDIA: What work will you be showing at Art Manifestation 2023? What do you hope the impact will be on the audience?
MERCURY: Mess around and find out.
CAFETERIA MEDIA: What project is next, anything you are wiling to share that we'll get to see soon?
MERCURY: NASA is supposed to be coming to Hartford this year. It's been a dream of mine to work with them. Nothing is set stone, but I have initiated contact. I like my chances.
