Vauxhall Art Car Boot Fair

The emphasis, as ever, is more on the ‘art’ than the boots of the cars  – all of which are new and vintage Vauxhalls. There are no frayed fluffy rabbits, manky juicers or dog-eared copies of 50 Shades of Grey to be had here: instead, it’s all about selling works by the likes of Kristjana Williams, Bob & Roberta Smith, Tracey Emin and illustrator and sister of Damon, Jessica Albarn.

This year, the car boot is journeying along the motorway to two other UK locations, with 2014 events in Liverpool on 5 July as part of the opening weekend of the Liverpool Biennial, and in Folkestone on 30 August as part of the opening weekend of the Folkestone Triennial.

Vauxhall Art Car Boot Fair founder and curator, Karen Ashton, says, ‘Having established the Vauxhall Art Car Boot Fair as a dynamic and thrilling art marketplace as well as a thoroughly entertaining afternoon for all our art loving visitors in London, it made perfect sense to take our show on the road to engage with new audiences and new artists around the country’.

But despite its extended reach, expect a queue – with prices staring at just £10, and typically all under £1000, there’s always a rush, so buyers are advised to head to the fair early.

All the artists personally attend the fair to peddle their wares, with other big names on the line-up including Gavin Turk, Polly Morgan, Pam Hogg, Pure Evil and Marcus Harvey.

As well as all this art, organisers promise us ‘frivolity, fabulous entertainment and artisan food’. Helping push the frivolity strand is Vauxhall Art Cargo – a new event for this year which gives fair-goers the chance to get arty themselves, thanks to a van-load of art materials for them to get their hands dirty with.

Elsewhere, more experienced artists will be showing their wares at the Go Forth Plinth showcase, which will display a series of specially-created pieces on the roof racks of a fleet of Vauxhall cars. 

Vauxhall Art Car Boot Fair takes place on 8 June from 12-6pm at Brick Lane Yard, Corner of Brick Lane and Buxton Street, London E1. For more information visit www.artcarbootfair.com