A dozen artists will battle it out in a creative competition in Greenwich Village Friday night to get one step closer to being crowned the world’s best live painter.
Art Battle, an international live-painting tournament, is holding its fifth city-based event this year at (Le) Poisson Rouge at 6 p.m.
Never been to a painting battle before? The rules are simple: Artists compete in three 20-minute rounds while the crowd watches and cheers them along. Audience members vote for their favorite using paper ballots at the end of each round. Friday’s winners will move on to the city finals and may have the chance to qualify for the 2018 U.S. national championship to be held this winter.
“It’s about bringing the competitive feel that exists in the art world to the surface,” says co-founder Simon Plashkes of Toronto. Plashkes created the series with colleagues Sean Bono and Chris Pemberton.
Since originating in Brooklyn in 2001, the event has hosted more than 8,000 artists and been held in 18 countries.
“It started in Brooklyn and the Lower East Side as a whole series of battles in alleyways and junkyards and has since moved onto the biggest venues, like (Le) Poisson Rouge,” Plashkes says. The competition grew in scale via word of mouth as tourists desired to replicate the championship in their own states, he added.
This year’s tournament is the biggest yet, according to Plashkes, with more than 250 competitions planned around the globe.
The 2017-2018 competition began in the fall and painters who make it to the final round by winning over the audience will compete against artists from around the globe who also passed several rounds in their respective cities.
“Allowing people to interact directly with [the art] is an amazing experience for artists who work alone in studios,” Plashkes adds, explaining that the competitors have to try to feel out the audience for their preferred style. From graffiti and street art to acrylic techniques, the artists have to “try to guess what the audience will like” to nab their votes.
Artists Mona Eliceiry, Scott Walker, ANJL, Jak Ruiz, Jess Kirkman and Jaehoon Lee are among the 12 competing in the city on Friday. Eliceiry, a painter from Canada who previously attended an Art Battle as an audience member, says she signed up to compete so she could “feel the rush” that the crowd and countdown creates.
The competition kicks off at 7 p.m., one hour after doors open, at 158 Bleecker St. Entry is $15 and the event includes a cash bar. After the winners are crowned, their art will be auctioned. Visit artbattle.com/events for tickets and more info.
