We at Mad Love are never ones to judge. What you do in your own time is your business. But with the utmost confidentiality and trust, I must ask… has anyone out there ever bought something from the boot of car?
If the answer is “yes”, don’t be ashamed. There is nothing wrong with getting the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie on VCD or those Hong Kong exclusive Air Force 1’s (GLAD wrapped for freshness) from the trunk of a stranger’s car. For as long as there been qualified and reputable businesses, there has always been hustlers on the side who have thought, “Why can’t I just sell stuff too?” If anything, these self-made merchants are the middle men between rampant commercialism and desperate consumers. Who needs a store front or fancy marketing when you have a ‘can-do attitude’ and a car with adequate boot space?
The hustler mentality is also something that is shared with the Artist. Whether it’s through webstores, setting up shop on the street, or creating cult followings on Instagram, the autonomy of exhibiting and selling your own work has never been taken for granted. As a way of celebrating this, in collaboration with 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Garry Trinh decided to put on the first ever Artists’ Car Boot Sale.
Garry Trinh has been a cornerstone of Australian photography for the best part of the last two decades. Originally documenting the subcultural boom of graffiti and skating, Trinh would move on to build a career based on crafting images from the urban landscapes and everyday moments that swirl around him. With a background in self-publishing, a slew of self-produced photo essays and growing portfolio of mixed media works under his belt, Trinh was the perfect candidate to conceptualise and curate a night dedicated to empowering artists as business owners of their craft.
And what a night it was! Level 5 of the spacious World Square carpark was transformed into a vibrantly coloured art market. Each artist’s car was turned into a four-wheel gallery of the bizarre and wonderful. Affordable art, clothes, plants, ceramic bongs and even a mobile ASMR room, were available and on full display at the wild, wacky and earnestly DIY Artists’ Car Boot Sale.
Shouts out to 4A Centre for Contemporary Art (especially young Con for putting in all that hardwerk) and Garry Trinh for coming up with the idea and organising the whole night. Huge bigs up to all the vendors and artists who made the night so amazing, you the real champs! If this night proved anything, it showed that the arts/ artists are still very alive in Sydney, all they need is a big ol parking lot! BAOOO
Find more info on upcoming exhibitions and whats going on at 4A here, follow @4a_aus
Find more info on Garry Trinh here, follow @garrytrinh
