Artists battle it out in Shadow Lounge

Four artists. Four hours. One winner.

That was the premise behind the “Art of Battle”… Four artists. Four hours. One winner.

That was the premise behind the “Art of Battle” competition. Over the past seven months, 16 visual artists have competed for a chance to be in the finals this past weekend at the Shadow Lounge in East Liberty.

The crowd was a melting pot of fans and fascinated spectators — mostly all of whom used their bodies as canvases, showcasing skin inked up with tattoos and body parts glistening with multiple body piercings. Although there were not many people there at first, the front room of the bar was soon shoulder-to-shoulder with curious scenesters.

During the competition, four artists, each of whom had come in first or second place at least twice in previous battles, stood on stage creating their art. The only rules are that you can’t make art ahead of time or use spray paint. Beyond that, artists can use whatever supplies they’d like and come prepared with sketches.

The four Pittsburgh artists that created live on stage included Octeel, Seth Leibowitz, Danny Devine and Tim Clinton.

While the artists worked, the crowd was entertained by DJs Maddbuddha, Selecta and Hank D, along with MC Dr. Strange K, who freestyled on and off throughout the night.

At 12:30, after four hours of painting, the onlookers were urged to take their tickets and vote for a winner. After receiving the highest number of votes, Seth Leibowitz, dressed head-to-toe in a Harlem jumpsuit complemented with a knee-length brown suede trench coat, orange-lens glasses and cane, accepted the $500 cash prize.

“Between the DJs, the MC and the crowd, you could just feel everyone’s energy, so the art just kind of trickled out of me,” Leibowitz said after the win. “I didn’t want to be cut off once it was over because it was like holding your pee, you know?”

From the beginning, Leibowitz’s piece transformed from a purple and black swirled background to a larger-than-life, celestial woman reaching out toward a galaxy in outer space. His inspiration for the cosmic winning piece came from a recent trip to Birmingham, England.

“Well, I borrowed $500 from my friend to get there,” Leibowitz said. “So, I’m planning on paying him back with the prize money.”

Ryan Graham, the owner of the New Amsterdam Bar where the previous rounds of the battle took place, created the event.

“I knew it was happening in other cities, and I wanted to bring it here,” he said. “It’s an empowering thing, and I think it’s time for Pittsburgh to wake up.”

Octeel, one of the four competing artists, has similar views on “Art of Battle” and the Pittsburgh art scene.

“It’s so predominant, but so unrecognizable. It’s the new wave of art — underground, you know?” Octeel said.

The battle started out with artists that Graham knew from the Pittsburgh area.

“I try to mix it up to get some of everything. Usually there’s one graffiti artist, a tattoo artist, a mixed media artist and one from the fine arts. It’s not a competitive environment. It’s more like a meet-and-greet where people can become familiarized with other people’s styles,” Graham said.

Not only is the battle a chance for artists to “shine”, Graham explained, but it is also a creative way to help others. All of the artwork from the past seven months of the competition was displayed on the walls of the Shadow Lounge and auctioned. The proceeds will be donated to a charity of the artist’s choice.

Although the competition is over, Graham says that another battle is in the works and expected to begin sometime in late October or early November. The principle will remain the same, but the format will not in hopes of shortening the overall time stretch. Expect new artists, DJs and sponsors as well.

“I hope that I can reach out to more types of people to be a part of the event. I’d be happy about that. I want to let people showcase their [stuff] whether they’re from Pittsburgh for 10 years or are more recent,” he said.