NEW YORK, NY.- Every Wednesday, upscale gallery-lounge W.i.P: Work in Progress is organizing art events with original pieces from members of Con Artist Collective. This past Wednesday, W.I.P will kick off an ongoing artist competition called The Battle of the Artists from 10pm- 2am.

The Battle of the Artists is similar to a game show format with two teams of artists competing for the better piece of artwork. Each team is provided with the same size empty canvas, a subject matter and the same amount of materials. Since this is a live show, artists also are provided with newspapers of the day and have to create collages and collaborations based on current events.

Each team is assigned a unique hashtag on Twitter and guests are encouraged to take pictures or retweet their favorite team during the event. At a certain time, the team with the most retweets, or most tweets with that unique hashtag is declared the winner. The pieces are offered for sale with a price tag of $3,000 and remain in the venue throughout the summer. The winners will also be invited to help curate future events and showcases at the venue.

The event features a performance by artist, Scott Alger. Rooted in the aesthetics of Abstract Expressionism while embracing the fantastical principles of Magical Realism, artist Scott Alger’s monumental photographs capture suspended light in a room. Each work, composed of both material subjects and immaterial translucence, and presents the viewer with a more whimsical nonsensical version of our reality. Using the speed of light, the everyday subject is infused with overwhelming emotionality.

Also scope out new works, collaborations, and experiments from other favorites, such as: Chris Mendoza, Mike Ming, Kenji Hirata, The Yok, Sheryo, Laura Tack, Dean Millien, Cody Oyama, Sam Woolley, IRKT, Rachael Senchoway, Michael Sharp, Ko Smith, Julia Pascone, Kanako Miyamoto, Oscar Tatsu, Victor Ochoa, Andy Wolf, Silvia Mihai and more.