The amazing Vauxhall Art Car Boot Fair, the UK’s most accessible and outright fun art fair takes the show on the road, this weekend visiting Liverpool for the first time as part of the opening of the Liverpool Biennial which begins on 5th July.
By linking up with this international arts extravaganza, the Vauxhall Art Car Boot Fair will be bringing some new and exciting artists to the city as well as handpicking a selection of Liverpool’s finest artists to join the frivolity, fabulous entertainment, artisan food and high end art bargains.
Artists at the Liverpool Fair will include Sir Peter Blake, Gavin Turk, James Unsworth, Julia Vogl, Marty Thornton, Wilma ‘Surfmama’ Johnson, Swifty, Cultivate, Scrawl Collective, Carolyn Gowdy, Alice Herrick, Jeffrey Disaster, Maria Teresa Gavazzi, Nina Fowler, the Juncture. The Fair will also be championing Liverpool based artists including Emily Speed, Rose Smith, Sam Venables, Kevin Hunt, The Royal Standard featuring Rob Chavasse, Sam Smith and Joey Holder, Dave Evans, Francis Disley, Rachel Marcroft, Lil Atkinson, Double Negative, Theodore Vass, Madeleine Hall and more.
Taking a quintessentially British concept and turning it on its head, the Fair is famous for being the day the art world lets its hair down, coming together to fill the car park with English eccentricity, quirky ideas, incredible bargains, cool art, eclectic wares and madcap performances. Food and spectacle will be provided by art/café duo Darton and Hunt, and Liverpool’s own Homebaked. It’s an art-buying frenzy from the moment the doors open offering people the chance to grab special just-for-the-day artworks. There’s something for every pocket with works typically on sale for between £10 to £1,000.
Vauxhall Art Car Boot Fair founder and curator, Karen Ashton, commented, “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 – and we are delighted to be embraced by both the Liverpool Biennial and the Folkestone Triennial.”
The first Art Car Boot Fair was held in London in 2004 with a line-up of around 30 artists including Gavin Turk, Abigail Lane, Mat Collishaw, Fiona Banner and Bob & Roberta Smith. It has been held every year since, except for 2005, making this year the 10th year in London. The main aim of the Art Car Boot Fair is to be a day when the artists let their hair down and for all-comers to engage with art and the artists in an informal way, and to pick up some real art bargains to boot.
Participation as an artist in the Art Car Boot Fair is by invitation only. There is no pitch fee and no transaction with the organisers. We work with well-known and up and coming artists who all buy into the idea of making their work accessible to a wide audience on the day. The event now features a line-up of over 70 artists. The event is at once cool, stylish, eccentric and bursting with incredible art bargains.
Vauxhall Art Car Boot Fair Date: Saturday 5th July 2014 Time: 12 – 4pm
Address: CCP Car Park, Duke Street, Liverpool, L1 4JH (Entrance on Wolstenholme square or Duke Street)
Tickets: £3 – available on the door
More information: Visit www.artcarbootfair.com or follow @artcarbootfair / @vauxhall for updates on artists, activities and exclusive pieces on offer this year
Photo: © PC Robinson Artlyst 2014