This year’s Art Car Boot Fair was a fantastically hot affair with a distinct lack of shade: not really the place for a newborn Snarfle, who travelled on my chest wrapped up in a leopard print scarf and shaded by a brolly. Lovely though this weather is, plenty of burning tarmac and reflective car surfaces ensured a quick whip around the stalls. Us Brits eh? we’re so bad at coping with extremes of temperature.
Despite the heat the fair was busy, with more mainstream punters than usual which is undoubtedly a better thing for artists, the usual east end pissheads are probably more interested in conviviality than the act of buying. Of particular note was the vast queue winding round the Pure Evil orange van – clearly demonstrating The Apprentice effect. I’m glad to see Charlie finally raking it in.
Here’s what else I saw:
Bob & Roberta Smith was signing ironic placards, accompanied by three lovely girls in well advised wide brimmed hats.
Peter Blake was selling special Jubilee prints, one of which was purchased as a first investment artwork for Snarfle by his doting dad.
Ian Dawson was touting crazy colourful sculptures.
We were most captivated by the work of illustrator and filmmaker Dave Anderson, showing with Scrawl Collective. Given his zany subject matter it comes as little surprise to find he also writes comedy.
Carrie Reichardt had draped her stall in a colourful Mad in England banner to better display her inimitable ceramic wares.
I absolutely adore David David‘s typography…. and they were selling some wonderful hand printed t-shirts along side their graphic prints too.
Pam Hogg was selling inexplicably cheap signed prints, which may explain why she was so over people taking her photo. Rock and roll!
Next door I experienced the Double Regina Experience from artistic duo The Girls: a bizarre meet and greet with two versions of royalty in a well decorated marquee. Surreal enough for adults – no doubt nightmare inducing for small people. I like that The Girls have created an artistic ideology all their own.
Beautiful upcycled artwork by Noma Bar and butterfly prints from Kristjana S Williams, (formerly of Beyond the Valley) were flying off the Outline Editions stand.
I adored Cliff Pearcey‘s wooden upcycled art, as ever.
Car size Scalextric: had the big boys intrigued.
Escargo – snail racing. As you do!
Mat Collishaw was doing a fine job of selling his insect prints.
Mike’s Corn dogs in a shopping cart contraption. Hot work! Rather him than me.
There is an interesting confluence of fine art and street art at the moment and there is no better place to see this in action than at the Art Car Boot Fair – where so many forms of high, low, street and performance art exist happily side by side. Roll on 2013. Can we have some shade please?
All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Categories ,2012, ,Art Car Boot Fair, ,Beyond the Valley, ,Bob & Roberta Smith, ,Carrie Reichardt, ,Cliff Pearcey, ,Dave Anderson, ,David David, ,Double Regina Experience, ,Escargo, ,Jubilee, ,Kristjana S Williams, ,Mad in England, ,Noma Bar, ,Outline Editions, ,Pam Hogg, ,Performance Art, ,Peter Blake, ,Pure Evil, ,review, ,Scalextric, ,Scrawl Collective, ,street art, ,The Apprentice, ,The Girls, ,vauxhall
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