Fish and chips… and a Toyota Corolla

If you want to know how popular something is with the British public, ask them to draw a picture. Bear with us for a moment because while that may not make any sense whatsoever, there is some logic to it. It becomes clearer when you realise that such iconic cultural institutions as fish and chips, biscuits, picnics, high streets, and car boot sales all feature in a series of artworks produced to celebrate the hugely successful Toyota Corolla.

Toyota has recently revealed the results of the Corolla Great British Art project which challenged artists to produce works celebrating the history of the current Corolla hybrid. Honestly, if we’re equating the Toyota Corolla with a chocolate digestive, it can only come from a place of love.

Worldwide, Toyota has produced more than 50 million of these practical hatchbacks across seven decades, the latest generation of which is made in Britain (at Toyota’s Burnaston factory) and equally loved by people from all walks of life as its predecessors.

The artistic endeavour followed the latest Corolla ad campaign which took a humorous look at the diverse lives of Corolla owners. The artists developed a range of themes using different media and giving their imagination free rein. The project also included a Corolla Art Competition for students at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), close to Toyota’s UK head office in Surrey.

That process eventually led to the winning artworks being unveiled.

If you want to see the artworks in person, they have been on display 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.

But just in case you can’t wait, you can check out the Toyota Corolla surrounded by biscuits in the list of commended entries below…

The Corolla Artworks

Car Boot Scene

Artist - 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.”

Corolla 5 Million

Artist - Mr Doodleey, Preston

Prem Sanker Sasidharan, aka, Mr Doodleey from Preston, Lancashire, took his inspiration from the phrase ‘British tapestry’. His doodle artwork features icons of British life such as a cup of tea, fish and chips, a football, a phone box and the London Eye, erupting from a Corolla. He also 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.

Where you go, I go, by BeauBottletops

Artist - Jessie Marie, Brighton

The inspiration for Jessie Marie’s piece was ‘something for everyone’. Believing strongly in diversity, her artwork depicts people from different backgrounds, incomes and locations. There are 660 bottle tops layered on the canvas, each recycled from Brighton beach. Marie sees her work as being like a universe, with each bottle top its own world. 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.

Winning UCA Student

Artist - Lie Louie Walters

Lie Louie Walters, 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 cinematic 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 had received a sneakily hidden gift – the keys to a Corolla.

Of course, if you want to join in the celebration of the Toyota Corolla, then you can have a look at our great selection of leasing deals on the Corolla.