THE LEAD MIAMI BEACH-Interview
Ready. Set. PAINT.
Miami is the Kick-off Canvas for a Battling of The Arts
By Angie Hargot
The MIA has been the place for many cutting edge art world trends, and has fittingly been chosen as the place to space the kick-off of the 2010 ArtBattles Live Art Tour.
On Feb. 27, Miami’s Eazy Street Gallery will proudly be the setting for the live-art competition where artists create work side-by-side in front of a live audience, against a musical backdrop provided by a live DJ. Hailing form New York, for the last nine years, ArtBattles has produced more than 100 live shows of pressurized performed art - and our little stomping art ground is the first stop on a national tour that includes major cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Charlotte.
Although Fabian Bolanos, Booking Agent for the ArtBattles Live Art Tour 2010, hand-picked the artists for the Miami show, the ArtBattles group makes the collective vote on the final artists, and the chaotic creators Miami will watch compete will be Amanda Valdes, Jeff Dekel, Svetlana Kepezhinskas, NF Romero, Kazilla, Julie L. Friel, and Andres Correa.
The tour will move on to the currently confirmed cities of Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle and then back home to the Big Apple’s Art EXPO.
The goal, Bolanos says, is to pick an artist to represent each city in the final event in New York, where the artists will also take advantage of a solo exhibition at an established NY gallery.
All six ArtBattles Miami artists, however, will be a part of the local exhibit, regardless of who wins on Feb 27.
The Lead got a chance to chat with Bolanos and ArtBattles Creator and Founder Sean Bono about one of most intriguing, and engaging, art forms to ever hit the galleries — and streets.
Give us a little history lesson. How did the whole ‘Live Art’ genre start?
Sean Bono: Well Live Art really took on a new meaning when Doze Green was featured in [DJ documentary] “Scratch,” painting a huge piece at a club during a DJ set. Before that, Live Art was just a reference to performance art, and Live Painters were wowing crowds with a simple deception. Doze was one of the first of our genre. He would get on stage and just create an awesome piece — to music.
Fabian Bolanos: Muralists such as GRONK, David Siqueiros, Carlos Almaraz and Diego Rivera paved the way many generations ago. Let’s not forget Os Gemeos from Brazil, they have murals and installations worldwide. I’ve watched guys like OBEY (Shepard Fairey) and CHASE build a reputation performing live. They have voiced socio-political issues in a subtle tone, through their amazing talent.
Tell me a little about yourselves, Art Battles, and the people who make it happen.
SB: I am the founder of ArtBattles. I have been producing ArtBattles in Manhattan and Brooklyn since I was 18. Over the years I have linked with a kick-ass team of artists, producers, etc. — such as Fabian Bolanos, who comes from a music/film background. Fabe is taking the game to the next level with booking our National tour. Also Erik Ebright who is an artist and designer as well, the man behind www.artbattles.com. Erik now lives in Miami by way of NYC and is our man on the ground handling the development of ArtBattles Miami.
FB: I’ve been a Booking Agent / Film Producer for the last 15 years with the Rocknfilm Entertainment Group. I was brought into the ArtBattles team by the show’s creator, Sean Bono. My experience in concert video production and touring will play a key role in developing the Art Battles Live – Art Tour as a viable act in new markets throughout the U.S. Sean has NYC, Erik has Miami, and I have Los Angeles and the West Coast. We’re the creative triangle of ArtBattles Miami. My goal is for ArtBattles to become the eminent stage for live artists in the U.S., and the world.
Art as a competition?
SB: In these days more than ever, the majority of artists are freelancers. Competition is part of their everyday. ArtBattles is a reality style performance where the artists perform their interpretations in front of the audience through Live Art.
FB: Nowadays audiences want to engage in more than just watching their favorite bands. A perfect example of this experience is the Coachella Music festival in California and Perry Farrell’s Lollapalooza in Chicago. Each artist has a different style, but collectively, they deliver a performance. People can engage with them according to their own taste or affinity for the artist.
Tell us about the competition element for these six Miami artists:
SB: The winning artist of this event will secure their place in one out of four slots in ArtBattles at the ArtExpoNY. This offers the artist the opportunity to be a main feature in front of thousands of dealers, gallery owners, artists and enthusiasts — not to mention the exposure the artist will gain through our website and Newsletter as the winning artist of ArtBattles Miami.
FB: We deliver and feature the works of the artists as a collective exhibit before, during and after the event. Even though the show itself is a competition, every artist stills wins individually. The show becomes a phantom gallery, providing a venue for artists that most galleries would have overlooked in the first place.
How have past competitions played out?
SB: Well we have had many different outcomes of the ArtBattles. Last summer at an all ages event, the crowd favorite won $1,000 cash. This was amazing because the crowd was going nuts and the winner was smiling for a month straight.
FB: It has given the artists more notoriety, and has increased the demand for the work.
What are some of the challenges you’ve seen in the particular genre?
SB: Proper lighting, especially when it comes to club environments, is of the essence. I have seen artists painting under colored lights and having to break out their cell phones to see what color they are actually using, and that's just not OK.
FB: Street art and Graffiti has the stigma of vandalism. Simply misunderstood. It’s not just a bunch of B-Boys listening to hip-hop in an alley. Street Art, graffiti, live –art is going through the same challenges hip-hop music was up against in the early ’80s … and look at it today. It’s a voice, an expression, that needs to be heard.
Are most of the competitors ‘street artists?’
SB: We are not exclusive to any style, background etc. We strive to bring diversity through the grouping of artists who can paint live. That being said, street artists do tend to be the most comfortable in this forum because they are used to finishing their work fast.
FB: “Street artists” sounds so bad. They are simply “artists” from all walks of life. As an artist, I’ve encountered many of the same hurdles. These are street credible artists who perform live, without venues. Hip-Hop was also called street music at one point wasn’t it?
Here in Miami, we get a lot of live painting going on in nightclub settings. What’s the connection between the music and the art?
SB: The music is crucial to many artists because it helps the artists "flow." It's natural to be inspired by music while you are painting.
FB: Live painting has been an art form for decades. The connection is performance, it goes hand on hand. Music is colors to the ear, and art gives music to the eyes. They stimulate each other. They both engage the audience with a common denominator: live entertainment.
What related trends do you see in the local art world now and what do you make of them?
SB: Street art and "live art" are becoming huge right now, all over the place. I never thought that something a small group of artists was doing in an alleyway in New York would be the opening event of one the biggest international art shows.
FB: Trends will always be trends. Fashion has them; Wall Street has them. I don’t consider them a trend. However, it is refreshing to see the advertising agencies incorporating into their campaigns elements of this movement.
How much positive feedback are you seeing for the participating artists? And what becomes of the resulting art?
SB: The artists continue on to solo shows, TV deals, fashion gigs, magazine spreads, live painting residencies. They provide support as mentors because they are part of the movement. The artwork made in the show at Eazy Street Gallery on Feb. 27th will remain installed and available for purchase for two weeks after.
FB: They all have underground followings. Being offered a venue, where they can be seen and heard caught the Miami artists by surprise! We put together this show in 30 days. It’s the new A&R of live art performers.
ArtBattles Miami will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Eazy Street Gallery, 3501 N.W. Second Ave., Miami, along with a DJ set by Miami’s own Alukard. For more information visit artbattles.com. Featured artists will have installations of recent work on view for two weeks after the show opens on Feb. 27.
Miami is the Kick-off Canvas for a Battling of The Arts
By Angie Hargot
The MIA has been the place for many cutting edge art world trends, and has fittingly been chosen as the place to space the kick-off of the 2010 ArtBattles Live Art Tour.
On Feb. 27, Miami’s Eazy Street Gallery will proudly be the setting for the live-art competition where artists create work side-by-side in front of a live audience, against a musical backdrop provided by a live DJ. Hailing form New York, for the last nine years, ArtBattles has produced more than 100 live shows of pressurized performed art - and our little stomping art ground is the first stop on a national tour that includes major cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Charlotte.
Although Fabian Bolanos, Booking Agent for the ArtBattles Live Art Tour 2010, hand-picked the artists for the Miami show, the ArtBattles group makes the collective vote on the final artists, and the chaotic creators Miami will watch compete will be Amanda Valdes, Jeff Dekel, Svetlana Kepezhinskas, NF Romero, Kazilla, Julie L. Friel, and Andres Correa.
The tour will move on to the currently confirmed cities of Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle and then back home to the Big Apple’s Art EXPO.
The goal, Bolanos says, is to pick an artist to represent each city in the final event in New York, where the artists will also take advantage of a solo exhibition at an established NY gallery.
All six ArtBattles Miami artists, however, will be a part of the local exhibit, regardless of who wins on Feb 27.
The Lead got a chance to chat with Bolanos and ArtBattles Creator and Founder Sean Bono about one of most intriguing, and engaging, art forms to ever hit the galleries — and streets.
Give us a little history lesson. How did the whole ‘Live Art’ genre start?
Sean Bono: Well Live Art really took on a new meaning when Doze Green was featured in [DJ documentary] “Scratch,” painting a huge piece at a club during a DJ set. Before that, Live Art was just a reference to performance art, and Live Painters were wowing crowds with a simple deception. Doze was one of the first of our genre. He would get on stage and just create an awesome piece — to music.
Fabian Bolanos: Muralists such as GRONK, David Siqueiros, Carlos Almaraz and Diego Rivera paved the way many generations ago. Let’s not forget Os Gemeos from Brazil, they have murals and installations worldwide. I’ve watched guys like OBEY (Shepard Fairey) and CHASE build a reputation performing live. They have voiced socio-political issues in a subtle tone, through their amazing talent.
Tell me a little about yourselves, Art Battles, and the people who make it happen.
SB: I am the founder of ArtBattles. I have been producing ArtBattles in Manhattan and Brooklyn since I was 18. Over the years I have linked with a kick-ass team of artists, producers, etc. — such as Fabian Bolanos, who comes from a music/film background. Fabe is taking the game to the next level with booking our National tour. Also Erik Ebright who is an artist and designer as well, the man behind www.artbattles.com. Erik now lives in Miami by way of NYC and is our man on the ground handling the development of ArtBattles Miami.
FB: I’ve been a Booking Agent / Film Producer for the last 15 years with the Rocknfilm Entertainment Group. I was brought into the ArtBattles team by the show’s creator, Sean Bono. My experience in concert video production and touring will play a key role in developing the Art Battles Live – Art Tour as a viable act in new markets throughout the U.S. Sean has NYC, Erik has Miami, and I have Los Angeles and the West Coast. We’re the creative triangle of ArtBattles Miami. My goal is for ArtBattles to become the eminent stage for live artists in the U.S., and the world.
Art as a competition?
SB: In these days more than ever, the majority of artists are freelancers. Competition is part of their everyday. ArtBattles is a reality style performance where the artists perform their interpretations in front of the audience through Live Art.
FB: Nowadays audiences want to engage in more than just watching their favorite bands. A perfect example of this experience is the Coachella Music festival in California and Perry Farrell’s Lollapalooza in Chicago. Each artist has a different style, but collectively, they deliver a performance. People can engage with them according to their own taste or affinity for the artist.
Tell us about the competition element for these six Miami artists:
SB: The winning artist of this event will secure their place in one out of four slots in ArtBattles at the ArtExpoNY. This offers the artist the opportunity to be a main feature in front of thousands of dealers, gallery owners, artists and enthusiasts — not to mention the exposure the artist will gain through our website and Newsletter as the winning artist of ArtBattles Miami.
FB: We deliver and feature the works of the artists as a collective exhibit before, during and after the event. Even though the show itself is a competition, every artist stills wins individually. The show becomes a phantom gallery, providing a venue for artists that most galleries would have overlooked in the first place.
How have past competitions played out?
SB: Well we have had many different outcomes of the ArtBattles. Last summer at an all ages event, the crowd favorite won $1,000 cash. This was amazing because the crowd was going nuts and the winner was smiling for a month straight.
FB: It has given the artists more notoriety, and has increased the demand for the work.
What are some of the challenges you’ve seen in the particular genre?
SB: Proper lighting, especially when it comes to club environments, is of the essence. I have seen artists painting under colored lights and having to break out their cell phones to see what color they are actually using, and that's just not OK.
FB: Street art and Graffiti has the stigma of vandalism. Simply misunderstood. It’s not just a bunch of B-Boys listening to hip-hop in an alley. Street Art, graffiti, live –art is going through the same challenges hip-hop music was up against in the early ’80s … and look at it today. It’s a voice, an expression, that needs to be heard.
Are most of the competitors ‘street artists?’
SB: We are not exclusive to any style, background etc. We strive to bring diversity through the grouping of artists who can paint live. That being said, street artists do tend to be the most comfortable in this forum because they are used to finishing their work fast.
FB: “Street artists” sounds so bad. They are simply “artists” from all walks of life. As an artist, I’ve encountered many of the same hurdles. These are street credible artists who perform live, without venues. Hip-Hop was also called street music at one point wasn’t it?
Here in Miami, we get a lot of live painting going on in nightclub settings. What’s the connection between the music and the art?
SB: The music is crucial to many artists because it helps the artists "flow." It's natural to be inspired by music while you are painting.
FB: Live painting has been an art form for decades. The connection is performance, it goes hand on hand. Music is colors to the ear, and art gives music to the eyes. They stimulate each other. They both engage the audience with a common denominator: live entertainment.
What related trends do you see in the local art world now and what do you make of them?
SB: Street art and "live art" are becoming huge right now, all over the place. I never thought that something a small group of artists was doing in an alleyway in New York would be the opening event of one the biggest international art shows.
FB: Trends will always be trends. Fashion has them; Wall Street has them. I don’t consider them a trend. However, it is refreshing to see the advertising agencies incorporating into their campaigns elements of this movement.
How much positive feedback are you seeing for the participating artists? And what becomes of the resulting art?
SB: The artists continue on to solo shows, TV deals, fashion gigs, magazine spreads, live painting residencies. They provide support as mentors because they are part of the movement. The artwork made in the show at Eazy Street Gallery on Feb. 27th will remain installed and available for purchase for two weeks after.
FB: They all have underground followings. Being offered a venue, where they can be seen and heard caught the Miami artists by surprise! We put together this show in 30 days. It’s the new A&R of live art performers.
ArtBattles Miami will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Eazy Street Gallery, 3501 N.W. Second Ave., Miami, along with a DJ set by Miami’s own Alukard. For more information visit artbattles.com. Featured artists will have installations of recent work on view for two weeks after the show opens on Feb. 27.
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