‘Santa’s Secret £10 Tombola’ is a one night alternative art market where buyers will be in the dark about what the individual artworks are, which artwork they are purchasing, and who produced them. All works are exhibited in their gift wrappings and sold ‘tombola’ fashion with buyers paying £10 each to enter the lucky dip draw. Buy a ticket, match it to the package and only then will the work be revealed! Each work will remain on show until the end of the evening when buyers can take their purchases home. Chris Miller, one of the coordinators of this Yuletide exhibition says: “This artist-led event is a kitsch extravaganza with serious undertones; we’re opening up the discussion around the value of art, and the buyer/artist relationship.” Artists invited to take part have been asked to create a new piece of work to be sold for no more than ‘a tenner’. This £10 limit has been set as a challenge to the artists and to make the joy of purchasing original works of art that little bit more affordable. Artists taking part work across a range of media including painting, film, sculpture and performance, and include Steven Paige, Swiftie, Debbie Lawson, Stephanie Boon, Sean Hawkridge and Matthew Houlding. Sovay Berriman fellow coordinator says: “This is going to be a really broad show, which will bring a bit of fun to the art debate in Cornwall.” Tickets for the draw will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis so prospective buyers should get down to the Grotto early on to avoid disappointment. If you’ve already overspent on Christmas gifts, and aren’t tempted to throw caution to the wind and spend a tenner on a surprise artwork, come along for some mince pies, mulled wine, seasonal musical hits, and of course to see the look of delight and confusion on people’s faces as the artworks are unwrapped. ‘Santa’s Secret £10 Tombola’ is a free exhibition and will be open to the public between 4 and 9pm on Saturday 16th December at Santa’s Grotto (formerly Fina China), 47 Fore Street, Redruth. For further information please contact santastombola@yahoo.co.uk. | 
