Hundreds gather at Brisbane op shop for viral art moment
A Brisbane op shop received a visit from a famous artist for the latest installation of her viral art series.
British artist Sophie Tea paid a visit to Vinnies Paddington last Friday for the first Australian episode of her viral ‘Charity Shop Friday’ series.
As part of the series’ 68th instalment, Tea purchased an $8 fish ornament from the store’s shelves before painting it and returning it to the store for the price she bought it, with one fan winning the final piece.
Letting her Instagram followers know of her whereabouts with just hours’ notice, more than 400 people had gathered at the Paddington op shop by the time Tea returned to the store.
Tea remained at the store for the day to draw on whatever items the crowd bought in store, generating a huge day of sales for Vinnies Paddington.
You might like
The series offers fans a rare chance to buy affordable, one-off artist-made pieces while supporting op shops worldwide.
Over nearly 70 episodes, ‘Charity Shop Friday’ has seen Tea bring life back to a Monopoly board, an antique clock, a luxury doll’s house and a vintage wooden globe.
She has visited towns across the UK, Paris, New York, Barcelona, Cape Town, Lisbon, Whistler, Los Angeles, Miami, Reykjavik and Bali, with Brisbane being the first Australian city to join the ranks.
“To finally do it in Brisbane was so special and I’m so grateful to the 400+ people who came along and supported the charity,” Tea said.
Stay informed, daily
“This definitely isn’t the last Australian episode – I’d love to take the series to every state, so get nominating your local op shops.”
The series has raised more than $90,000 for charities including Children in Need, Shelter, The Salvation Army, Cancer Research and Age UK.
She has also generated more than one billion views across social media, bringing attention to the organisations her series supports.
Beginning her artistic journey in 2014 with no formal art education or industry contacts and being rejected by every gallery she approached, Tea opened three galleries across London and Sydney.
She then began ‘Charity Shop Friday’ in mid-2024, which she says is part of her career-long mission to democratise access to the arts.
“Australia’s such a big part of my story – I lived in Sydney and had a gallery there, but ‘Charity Shop Friday’ only started after I’d moved back to the UK, so bringing it here has been on my list for a long time,” Tea said.
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
