Worldwide, more than 50 million Toyota Corolla’s have been sold across seven decades. To celebrate its longstanding popularity, and the latest Corolla ad campaign, Toyota challenged artists across the UK to create an artwork honouring the world’s favourite car – ‘Corolla car art’. The project also included a Corolla car art competition for students at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), close to Toyota’s UK head office in Surrey. This produced an overall winner and four highly commended works.
Following the results of the Corolla Great British Art project, which challenged artists to produce works celebrating the enduringly popular, made-in-Britain, Corolla hybrid, we are proud to present our winners and honorary mentions.
The artworks have been displayed at Toyota (GB)’s headquarters and are set to travel to other Toyota locations in the UK, including the Corolla factory at Burnaston in Derbyshire.
Regional Corolla artworks
- Car boot scene by Jane Smith, Sheffield
Jane Smith’s artwork features the traditional British car boot sale, populated with Corolla hatchbacks. She commented:
“I think it’s important to show that cars are a useful part of life, not just about getting from A to B. Who doesn’t love a British car boot sale! They are great for shifting unwanted stuff, helping the planet through recycling, getting out and meeting people.”
Smith is a professional artist based in Sheffield, with 40 years’ experience as an illustrator.
2. Corolla 5 Million by Mr Doodleey , Preston
Prem Sanker Sasidharan, Mr Doodleey, took his inspiration from the phrase ‘British tapestry’. With this in mind, his cart art features icons of British life such as a cup of tea, fish and chips, a football, a phone box, and the London Eye. Additionally, he references different types of Corolla owner and Toyota-themed elements.
It took him five days to create the piece, which he sketched on a tablet before adding colour, including Union Jack red, white and blue.
Sanker started doodling while studying electronic engineering 10 years ago and now runs a doodling business alongside his role as a support worker in north west England.
3. Where you go, I go, by BeauBottletops – Jessie Marie, Brighton
The inspiration for Jessie Marie’s cart art was ‘something for everyone’. Believing strongly in diversity, her artwork depicts people from an array of different backgrounds. There are 660 bottle tops layered on the canvas, each recycled from Brighton beach. She cut out pieces of vintage road maps to stick as a base inside each bottle top, representing Great Britain and included multimedia items such as buttons and miniature figures to represent people from all walks of life. A collage flows from the Corollas, incorporating elements that represent Toyota’s global reach.
“It looks random, but it’s all meticulously planned. Sustainability was a big part of this piece. Everything has been repurposed for an organisation that is conscious about its sustainable impact”.
Marie is a self-taught artist with a degree in psychology and a 10-year background in mental health work. Two years ago she left social work to pursue her passion for art and she hasn’t looked back. She now works for a jeweller in The Lanes three days a week, alongside running art exhibitions in Brighton to showcase emerging and established artists.
Winning UCA Student car art entry: Lie Louie Walters
Lie Louie, a 21-year-old UCA BA (Hons) Fine Art student from Alton, Hampshire, began his piece with a digital collage of quintessentially British imagery. This was then translated into a painting using Procreate, resulting in a composition that captures a personal moment between the viewer and their dining table.
Walters commented:
“I was inspired by everyday British experiences, accessible to anyone. We’ve all at some point hoped for biscuits and been greeted by a sewing kit. I reflected on typical biscuit tin imagery, often depicting beautiful countryside cottages, and wondered how a ‘biscuit tin car’ would fit within that landscape. I chose two specific Corolla colours – green and red – which are traditionally associated with Christmas. Once paired with the comforting glow, I hoped to capture warmth, curating a scene as if the viewer has received a sneakily hidden gift – the keys to a Corolla.
The highly commended UCA student car art:
Four BA (Hons) Illustration UCA students were also highly commended by the Toyota and UCA judging panel:
Liz Johnson, from Reigate, Surrey
Lucy Hartley, from Hampshire
Harriet Beadsley from Petworth, West Sussex
Katie Osang from Farnham, Surrey
Contents correct at the time and date of publication.
