Most people don’t think of an art show as 12 artists given 20 minutes to paint, while 250 people cheer and watch over their shoulders.
But that’s exactly what Art Battle is.
The event will be taking place on Feb. 22 at Arts Court, a theatre that houses several artists, as well as hosting visiting shows such as Art Battle. Twelve painters will each be given similar canvas, paint brushes and 20 minutes to create a work of art. The audience will then vote on the winner.
“It’s different for most artists who work in their studios. They work alone for hours and you have all the time to do whatever you want,” says Kalkidan Assefa, a local Ottawa artist and previous Art Battle champion, who plans to compete again in the upcoming competition.
Assefa says he has a strategy for going into the battle. He tries to make the process of painting entertaining and exciting for the people watching.
“It has maybe some sort of twist, it comes together at a certain point, maybe where they weren’t expecting it,” he says. “I try to add some showmanship to what I’m doing aside from just creating the image within the timeline. That’s my strategy basically, show people something they haven’t seen before.”
Despite being a tightly timed competition, Arts Battle has a high-spirited and inviting atmosphere, says Jamil Keyani, event producer for Art Battle in Ottawa.
“People are really friendly and outgoing and there’s no hesitation to express joy,” he says. “People are getting hugged by people they don’t know because they are having such a great time”.
Art Battle is a national event, with competitions popping up all over Canada depending on whether a city has a demand and a venue for the event.
Currently, there are up to 16 competitions taking place in Canada, including Ottawa, leading up to a final event in Toronto, says Keyani.