Since the days of Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable, the live-art movement has been an ever-evolving and always interesting scene, especially in New York City. One of the most consistently challenging and charming crusades in the movement’s recent memory has been that of Art Battles.
Over the years, what I’ve found makes Art Battles such an entertaining experience is what an overwhelming barrage of entertainment it is. Between the live painting, live music and interactive atmosphere, it’s a veritable feast for the senses crammed into one protein shake energy drink. Last Friday’s event was no exception, although by comparison things were a bit more tranquil.
The main idea behind the Art Battles is to place two completely different styles of painters “against” each other as they make an original work in front of your very eyes. Hard as they may be to compare, the crowds ultimately choose a winner and either apples or oranges goes home with the title.
The two artists were Los Angeles’s Gregory Siff and the Bronx’s Andre Trener. While Trener’s graffiti-influenced style did get a fair share of the audience applauding his pop-art purple cassette painting, the winner was Siff, who composed a post-modern eye-catching street-style painting of a burger.
Scoring the showdown was a DJ set from Hesta Prynn, formerly one-third of rap trio Northern State, who spun beloved late-90s/early-2000s hip-hop favorites such as “Vibrant Thing,” “Ghetto Superstar” and “Let Me Blow Your Mind.” While there wasn’t much dancing, the setting set a good relatable mood that allowed the attendees a great backdrop to either catch-up with old friends or make new ones.
The night concluded with headliners Emanuel and the Fear, an 11-piece band whose style of orchestral rock is as complex as it is endearing. With the stage at Le Poisson Rouge large enough to prominently show every member, it allowed me as an observer to really see what each member brought to the table. Despite the sheer spectacle of seeing such an outfit function as one, the performance was joyfully unpretentious, including two moments when lead vocalist Emanuel Ayvas acknowledged his very real excitement over the venue’s piano and jokingly introducing the next number by saying, “it’s a soft song...sorry.”
While the style of music was vastly different from the hip-hop-influenced rest of the night, the strength of the performance added a new diverse dimension to the evening, continuing the type of energy that makes Art Battles one of the city’s most unpredictable and enjoyable evenings.
