With the arts community adversely affected during the pandemic, Los Angeles-based live arts entertainment brand Secret Walls is on a 30-plus city tour to bring its high-energy physical illustration and design battles —and to shine a spotlight on local talent — across the US and Canada.
Art fans can check out the Support Your Local Artist (SYLA) Tour when it hits Houston Wednesday, August 31 with a free show at Karbach Brewing Company. The free, all-ages event, which was originally slated to run at House of Blues, kicks off at 7 pm.
Coined by the Wall Street Journal as “a fight club for street artists,” Secret Walls is an energetic art battle fueled by crowd reaction. Artists are divided randomly into teams and equipped with markers, paint brushes, spray paint, and paint rollers. Nothing is revealed to the artists prior to the start of the competition.
They artists then have exactly 90 minutes on the clock to ideate and create their artwork. A team of judges, plus a decibel meter measuring the audience’s cheers, determine the winner of each showdown.
The Houston stop will feature local artists Alex Arzú, Nicky Davis, Ghoul Shack, and Tarbox. The event will also include food and drinks, music by DJ Mad Sounds, and limited-edition merchandise for sale.
For the Houston stop, Secret Walls has partnered with UP Art Studio to host a special Secret Walls Academy NFT Workshop and Kid’s Team Battle for students at Hogg Middle School. This artist-led youth workshop provides a crash course in NFTs and digital art while building confidence in the next generation of freestyle street artists, according to a press release.
Since Secret Walls debuted in 2006 with a mission to support local artists, the contest and tours have produced more than 2,000 battles in more than 50 countries and, ays founder Terry Guy, has grown to become the world’s premier live paint and pixel battle platform.
“The Houston community has been so supportive of Secret Walls in the past and we wanted to do something special in return,” Guy notes in a statement. “Thanks to all our fans, we were able to pull some strings to make the event free and accessible to more supporters. We look forward to seeing everyone at the show.”
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Secret Walls takes place at 7 pm Wednesday, August 31 at Karbach Brewing Company, 2032 Karbach St. Event is free and open to all ages. For more information, visit the official site.
Artists such as Lillipore and Goopmassta have faced off in previous Secret Walls showdowns.
