Atomic Rooster holds community art competition featuring different renditions of roosters.
Dozens of images of beautiful, angry, and even abstract roosters are up at Atomic Rooster for the Bank Street bar and bistro’s fifth annual “Cock Show.”
The artists displayed their best rooster-themed artworks in hopes of getting the most votes from customers and art fans who drop in to the restaurant.
This year, the show added a second element to the selection, as a panel of judges selected the winner from among five artworks that receive the most votes from the public.
The five judges were drawn out of a hat from a selection of Atomic Rooster regulars who volunteered their names.
Curator Shelley Braun says that this decision was made to keep the community ties close.
“It’s a community art venue, it’s not a gallery, it’s a bar and restaurant. I wanted to make sure that we kept it in that realm of community because I have a deep commitment to make sure art is accessible to everybody.”
That perspective is made clear in the art, which ranges from traditional paintings of roosters to such abstract representations as colourful lines and dots. One piece even being done in the style of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
The diversity also stretches across the media used. There are artworks done in various styles of painting and sketching, and even some with three-dimensional, sculptural aspects to them. Yet with all of these differences, the paintings are tied together by the common theme of celebrating roosters and what both the restaurant and the cocky farm animals mean to the community.
Sylvia Stojek-Martin has been an artist in Ottawa for 30 years and says that “never in all this time has there been as much excitement for artists as what has been created by The Atomic Rooster with their annual Cock Show.”
Cristian Aluas has submitted paintings to the show two years in a row, both of which feature a fantasy-inspired, muscular rooster. He says that the fun and professional environment the Cock Show creates is key to creating a community around the city.
“It’s important to have great events. They’re always showing art, and people now go there knowing that they will see great art from the Ottawa community.”
The restaurant hosts regular art galleries in addition to the Cock Show. One of their most successful is the “Table D’Art” series, where artists come in and do live paintings of a table that the restaurant laters uses. Aluas brought his rooster character to a table in an art session last year.
Even with the tongue-in-cheek humour and casual nature of the Cock Show, the artists are able to make their own artistic statements. Aluas’s piece this year features his brawny rooster chained to a cross in front of piles of beer bottles and glasses.
“My idea is that it’s kind of like being chained to alcohol,” says Aluas. “I try to add more to the artwork beyond the superficial aesthetic.”
Braun says that the creations brighten up the restaurant and bring it to life.
“It’s an environment that’s alive and ticking.”
This year’s winner was Val Roy, whose piece was entitled “After the Cock Fight.” It featured a large angry looking bird face, with fierce red and black colour themes.
Braun had high praise for the piece, saying “Val is an awesome artist who always submits something fabulous. This particular piece has the perfect balance of aggression and intrigue.”
Roy will be taking home a $200 gift certificate to nearby Wallack’s Art Supplies and her work will be featured on the Atomic Rooster’s coasters throughout the year.
However, both Braun and the artists agree that the contest itself is secondary to the bonding experience that the event creates for local artists and art fans.
“What is so amazing is that it isn’t for the gift certificate with Wallack’s,” says Stojek-Martin. "It’s the chance to be on the restaurant’s coaster for the year. That’s the big prize.”