Vic Reeves\/ Jim Moir<\/p>\n
Fred Olsen<\/p>\n
Art lovers can expect a day of humour-infused art world antics this autumn as the Art Car Boot Fair<\/a> rolls back into London\u2019s King’s Cross with The Comedy Edition. In an era where global conflict, political division, and cultural anxieties can make life feel like a dystopian, Orwellian novel, art has the power to offer both sharp commentary and joyful escape. The 2025 edition leans into that spirit, bringing together a vibrant mix of artists who celebrate humour, satire, and the comic in their work.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s Comedy & The Comic theme promises cutting-edge contemporary art, mischievous humour, and live performances. Artists including Vic Reeves, Mr Doodle, Rankin, Modern Toss, Pam Hogg, Dion Kitson, Abigail Fallis and many more will descend on Lewis Cubitt Square at Coal Drops Yard on Saturday 20th September, transforming the space into a joyful pop-up art and comedy festival.<\/p>\n Where High Art Meets the High Street<\/strong><\/p>\n The Art Car Boot Fair has always been a quintessentially British hybrid: part art fair, part car boot sale, and entirely unpredictable. Founded by Karen Ashton, the event is known for its riotous atmosphere and rule-breaking spirit. Ashton explains the thinking behind this year\u2019s theme:<\/p>\n \u201cThis year\u2019s theme Comedy & the Comic is all about celebrating the lighter side of creativity. In uncertain times, humour is a powerful tool, and artists are the best jesters, critics, and storytellers around. Expect the unexpected!\u201d<\/p>\n Art Car Boot Fair has made a name for itself through an unexpected mix of emerging and established artists, and in past editions Turner Prize winners have exhibited next to rising stars, or fine artists beside street artists. All the work is exclusively commissioned for the event and offered at for-one-day-only prices, sold directly from the boots of cars (or in the case of Mr Doodle from a converted school bus) by the artists themselves.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an approach that collapses the boundaries between high art and the high street. Past editions have seen icons like Tracey Emin and Sir Peter Blake selling their work to delighted collectors and casual passers-by alike.<\/p>\n Comic Legends and Rising Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n Among this year\u2019s star attractions is British comedy legend Vic Reeves, also a prolific artist whose work has shown at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, Saatchi Gallery, and Whitechapel Gallery. Known for his love of ornithology, Reeves has created entire series devoted to birds, even spawning a TV show and book of bird illustrations. Of his art, Reeves says simply:\u201cArt is my life and I\u2019m not kidding. It is.\u201d<\/p>\n Another major draw is Mr Doodle<\/a>, the doodle-covered phenomenon with over three million Instagram followers. Once a struggling artist selling drawings for \u00a31, his work is now sought after. Last year he \u201cdoodle-bombed\u201d the Holburne Museum in Bath and created doodle paintings inspired by historic portraits in the collection.<\/p>\n For his Art Car Boot Fair debut, Mr Doodle will arrive on a yellow American school bus completely covered in his signature doodles, present a live drawing performance, and launch signed copies of his new double picture disc vinyl record.<\/p>\n Mr Doodle says he\u2019s driven by the joy of art: \u201cA lot of art can be quite serious, sad, and sometimes dark. Watching my toddler make art\u2013smiling, laughing, expressing joy\u2013inspires me. I want my art to be fun and happy. Making someone smile and laugh or feel more positive about their day is such a great feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n Other highlights include cult cartoon satirists Modern Toss, joining the line-up for the first time with their bold, irreverent graphics, and legendary fashion designer Pam Hogg, whose star-studded client list spans Debbie Harry, Bjork, Rihanna and Lady Gaga. Rising star Camille Phoenix, just 17 and already featured by Vogue, will also return, having first shown at the fair aged six.<\/p>\n Renowned photographer Rankin<\/a>, famed for shooting everyone from Kate Moss to David Bowie and Queen Elizabeth II, will offer visitors the rare chance to have their portrait taken by him on the day.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Jealous Gallery will showcase works by comedian-artist Noel Fielding, including portraits of Kurt Cobainand Bob Dylan, while Dion Kitson arrives on the heels of a five-star The Guardian review and viral jewellery collaboration. Comedian Joe Lycett praises him as: \u201cfunny, beautiful, and dumb\u2026Dion Kitson understands the state of the nation better than anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Kitson will also bring street art provocateur Foka Wolf and artist-comedian Tat Vision to the fair.<\/p>\n Over 120 artists are set to take part, including Heath Kane, Sara Pope, Juno Calypso, Susie Hamilton and Russell Herron. Alongside the art stalls, there\u2019ll be plenty of offbeat entertainment including; Obsessed Art Kids Drawing Club run by Preston Paperboy; The Misfortune Teller offering darkly comic prophecies; #RenaissanceSelfie portraits in full Renaissance regalia; roaming female clowns and a live comedy open mic.<\/p>\n It all adds up to what the organisers call \u201cart at its most alive\u201d, a place where seasoned collectors can haggle for a masterpiece, and newcomers can discover something extraordinary (and affordable) to take home.<\/p>\n Mr Doodle ‘Doodle Bus’<\/p>\n Mr Doodle <\/p>\n Why Humour Matters: Artists Reflect<\/strong><\/p>\n Several exhibiting artists shared how humour shapes their practice:<\/p>\n Abigail Fallis<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHumour plays a major role in my art. My work questions our environmental legacy to the future. My subversive sense of humour provides satirical absurdity in the face of uncomfortable truths.\u201d<\/p>\n Abigail Fallis<\/p>\n Abigail Fallis<\/p>\n Hayden Kays<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cComedy runs through my practice because there\u2019s so much solemnity in art. Humour cuts straight through before the intellect can intervene. It feels like the essence of being human.\u201d<\/p>\n Eat Sleep Pollute Repeat Hayden Kays<\/p>\n Hayden Kays<\/p>\n Maisie Cowell<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHumour lets you smuggle in complicated subjects. I\u2019ve always loved comics\u2013Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, Agrippina, Anna Haifisch. I\u2019m jealous of Cindy Sherman\u2019s playfulness with identity and satire.\u201d<\/p>\n Maisie Cowell<\/p>\n Maisie Cowell<\/p>\n Paul Hodgson<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cComedy is often dismissed as mere entertainment, but provoking laughter is profound. It alters perception, displaces expectation, and produces new interpretations. From casting a bronze banana skin to exploding a cigar in Oscar Wilde\u2019s face, I\u2019ve always explored how comedy can transform objects and narratives.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul Hodgson Historial Artefact<\/p>\n Paul Hodgson Historial Artefact<\/p>\n Dion Kitson<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHumour acts as both a scalpel and a shield\u2014cutting into the British psyche while coping with the banal. My fake news \u2018Headlines\u2019 series reaches a mass audience by subverting something as familiar as an oil painting.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re a dedicated collector or a curious newcomer, it\u2019s a rare chance to meet artists face-to-face, pick up exclusive one-day-only pieces, and revel in a day where art doesn\u2019t just hang on walls, it laughs out loud.<\/p>\n The Art Car Boot Fair 2025: Comedy & The Comic<\/strong> takes over Lewis Cubitt Square at Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross, London on Saturday 20th September from 12\u20136pm. Find more information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n