Art isn’t something we often think of as a competition, however, that’s exactly what Simon Plashkes and his partner Chris Pemberton created when they founded Art Battle in 2009. Art Battle is a seasonal program that hosts monthly events in cities across Canada. Eight artists are selected to compete, and they are given 20 minutes to create a painting using only a blank canvas, acrylic paint, and brushes. Event attendees circle the painters as they work, thus immersing themselves in the experience of the artistic process. At the end of the round, the audience votes for their favourite painting and a silent auction is held to sell the individual works. Painters who are successful in the individual Art Battles are eligible to participate in the national championship held in July.
The first event of Art Battle’s fifth season took place this past Tuesday September 24 at the Great Hall on Queen Street West. The night featured 16 artists who competed in two intense rounds, creating surprisingly complex works in the short 20-minute time frame. Plashkes explained to The Varsity, “We get dozens of applications per week… Ultimately this is entertainment, so we try and cultivate the best artists who range from, I think our youngest was 17, to people in their late sixties. There’s such a wealth of talent.” When asked about his inspiration when creating the Art Battle program, Plashkes explained: “Art often involves such a passive-aggressive kind of competition, we thought we would bring that to the surface and see what happened.” Plashkes and Pemberton hosted a few Art Battles in 2009, and the response was so great that he and his partner expanded the program until it was a national competition spanning every province and territory.
Sarah Crawley, a U of T student, speaks of her experience as a second time Art Battle participant: “I feel like this is exactly the kind of feedback that artists need but are scared to get, and being able to see how your work holds up to an audience is really important” she said. Crawley said she’s grateful for the opportunity to work on her art, since it can sometimes be hard to find an artistic community in university. Sarah was the only U of T student to participate in this year’s Art Battle event, and she competed against a whole host of other artists, including the 2012 and 2013 Art Battle champion, Yared Nigussu. The event was packed with Torontonians sipping drinks from the cash bar and enjoying the DJ’s music. When it was time for the battle to start, Pemberton led a crowd-wide countdown, and then the artists began their feverish painting. Artist Nora House was the eventual champion, winning a $250 cash prize, and the paintings were auctioned off for as much as $2100. Art Battle is moving to Ottawa next before returning to Toronto in July for the annual championships.
