A group of artists have turned an empty Highgate coffee shop into a contemporary art gallery with affordable exhibition space.
Blue on The Hill moved into the former Velvet cafe opposite Highgate Tube station last month, and opened their first show days later.
Eight artist-members are behind the not-for-profit venture in Archway Road - several are recent fine art graduates from Central St Martin’s in Archway, and all showed work in the opening exhibition.
Justine Hounam, Donna Poingdestre, and Neal Matthews hatched the idea after organising a group show at Archway's Bomb Factory gallery last November.
Hounam, who grew up in Crouch End and lives in Shepherd's Hill, had spotted that her favourite cafe had moved a few doors up - leaving an empty shop. Joined by fellow artists Carolyn Whittaker, Louise Richards, Anne Isaksson, Jacqueline Rana, and Siobhan Howard, it was a quick turnaround between signing the lease on April 17 and opening the gallery days later.
"I spoke to the landlord who agreed to let it, and we got more artists on board to share the rent and set up a community interest company," she said.
"We are all local and hope that this will create a buzz in Highgate whilst also creating opportunities for emerging artists in an affordable way that encourages people from diverse backgrounds to exhibit."
She said it was "tough" for artists starting out to show their work.
"The problem for a lot of people leaving these courses is there's no magic wand into a world of exposure. You have to put in a lot of work to market yourself.
"We want to continue to show our work on a limited budget whilst also creating a platform for our huge network of artists who make amazing work but are unable to get representation."
Hounam, whose father Peter was a journalist on the Hornsey Journal in the 1970s, makes fabric sculptures, while the other artists create a diverse range of work from large scale street art, to digital, screen prints, sculpture and painting.
"This isn't about selling my work, but about getting exposure," she adds.
"There's some snobbery around contemporary art, but we want to keep the work alternative, and champion contemporary art with a dynamic programme of solo and group exhibitions, events and talks for the Highgate community.
"You don’t have to be an art enthusiast to enjoy the gallery, everyone is welcome, please pop in to find out more."
The next exhibition runs from May 19 to 22 and is a solo show by Irish artist James Canty.
Blue on The Hill is at 323 Archway Road. https://blueonthehill.com/
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