BENGALURU: You’ve probably heard of a rap battle or a dance-off, but now, Bengalureans can witness Art Battle, a live art tournament that first originated in Toronto and will be organised in India for the first time next week. Two city women – Kaavya Sampath and Pooja Shirali – are the local organisers of the battle, which takes place in 60 cities around the world, including USA, Japan, China, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, UK and The Netherlands.
The event, which takes place at Watson’s Indiranagar, will see 12 artists take part in three rounds of 20 minutes each as they vie for the winning title. Following the international format, here too audiences choose their champion, making it an engaging experience. The idea, say the two women who are artists themselves, is to bring art closer to people. “We first found out about the international movement when my friend took part in the Seattle edition. Intrigued by it, we found it a pity that India didn’t have a similar event and that’s when we reached out to the global team in August,” explains Shirali, who also co-founded House of Mirrah with Sampath.
Battles like these take place once every 45 days, with a global championship in Tokyo in October this year. “We also have a national battle that will take place in Bengaluru in August,” says Sampath. And since the upcoming battle will also see an auction of the artists’ works, the 12 champions were chosen across various practices, such as Cubism, surrealism, abstract, landscape, portrait art and sketching. “These helps maintain variety for the audience and gives the artists a chance to be exposed to others from their field,” says Shirali, adding, “Moreover, people will also be aware of local artists, can watch them in action and know that such events don’t have to be limited to just dance or music.”
With an event like this, which has been sponsored by Brustro and Watson’s, Shirali and Sampath also aim to make art more approachable to people, which meant finding the right venue was key. Since it takes place at a pub, it helps reduce the image of “elitism” that art often carries. “We at Watson’s are big on art, which is clear with our interiors. This way, our visitors too can get introduced to something new and funky,” a Watson’s spokesperson said.
The event will take place on 18 Jan Watson’s, Indiranagar.