Citizen Brooklyn

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The crowd guzzled Blue Moon beers, puffed on blunts, ate burgers, and watched the artists paint their pieces on blank wooden canvases. The Sucklord was keeping everybody live with his wild ranting, while the DJ was spinning hip-hop tracks from the early nineties. This was the scene for the battle to see who the best of the borough would be.

Brooklyn photo©Christian Torres

Brooklyn was buzzing because of the Bushwick Open Studios events taking place around the neighborhood. Our friends at Silky’s coordinated an art battle that was MCed by the Sucklord, an artist who hand customizes his own version of Star Wars toys out of Chinatown.

Phat Cap photo©Christian Torres

The contestants were six graff writers squaring off two at a time. They had one hour to finish their work judged by the audience’s rounds of applause. Krink, a popular brand of graffiti marker, sponsored the event and provided the arsenal for the artists’ choosing. There were no prizes to be had; competition has always been at the heart of the graffiti game and bragging rights are prize enough.

Forty Ounces of Freedom photo©Christian Torres

In the end, every artist got a chance to shine. All the pieces were amazing, but one stood out the most. Billy Roids aka King Abnon, a Queens native, made a Fidel Castro piece with four arms throwing up different hand signs. This piece was the winner in my eyes and the audience agreed. Luckily for the reader, this is not the only art battle Silky’s will be throwing. Expect a series of these and keep your eyes open for the next one.

Brooklyn on Wood photo©Christian Torres