Touring art competition Super Art Fight debuts its pro wrestling-pictionary combo at Strange Matter 9/5

by | Sep 2, 2015 | ART

GET READY TO RUMBLE!!! And…get a little strange.

GET READY TO RUMBLE!!! And…get a little strange. Super Art Fight will make its Richmond debut at Strange Matter this Saturday and we’re calling out all Moes, Blokes and everyday Joes.

An event with a little something for everyone, this is not an event you want to miss. (Trust us.)

According to the website, the show was launched “live on stage by accident during an “Iron Artist” event at Katsucon in February 2008. The event serves as a surreal mixture of live art, pro-wrestling style characters and storytelling and a dash of hilarious, improvised commentary.”

Marty Day, Co-host and producer of Super Art Fight, spoke to RVA Mag recently and he wants to make sure everyone is as excited about this event as he is. Though they usually perform in DC and Baltimore, “the greatest live art competition in the known universe” heard so many good things about our city that the national touring event just had to come down and perform for us.

Because it’s their first time in RVA, they are “bringing their best artists, best talent and unleashing it to a crowd that’s never seen it before. A unique mixture of comedy, live art and character costumes,” Day said of the spectacle.

“The elevator pitch that we give everyone is always pro wrestling pictionary,” he said. “We set up this 6-foot-tall, 12-foot-wide canvas, we have two or more artists collide on it and we also throw a wrench in the gears with something we call the wheel of death. The wheel of death is a group of crowd-sourced topics all given to us from our website and what that does is every five minutes the artists get an additional topic that they have to incorporate into what they’ve already drawn.”

Day made it clear that it’s not so much a competition as it is one gigantic, hilarious collaboration of everyone on stage.

Spectators can look forward to pop culture references like rejected super heroes, muppet burlesque and an onslaught of commentary from Day and Ross Nover, Co-Host. Awesome right?

Though it may sound pretty appealing in writing, Day assured us “it’s something that really needs to be taken in personally to surely grasp.

“There’s so many things going on at once that it’s really hard to get bored,” he said. “I have the pleasure of being part of this show and I still get amazed by the art that gets made in the moment.”

Some names that you should look out for are “Baron Von Sexyful”, a “European Fashionista” whose favorite artistic topic is himself.

“He has the reddest, tightest pants you’ve ever seen and he loves art as much as he loves himself,” said Day. “There’s also “Angry Zen master” who is “just loud and in your face and awesome.

Also part of the Super Art Fight is “Ghostfreehood” and Der Kommissar of Kindness whom Day described as “destructively deadly on canvas and one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet.”

There’s definitely a pro wrestling aspect to it with their characters. But it seems like it’s a fun loud group of artists that get to perform their passions and enjoy them. Because it moves very quickly, audience members will be able to see different styles being developed and will be able to choose their favorite artists. Though the comedic humor can get pretty low and grimy, you shouldn’t be discouraged from bringing your grandparents and childhood nanny. There’s something for everyone and it’s guaranteed that you won’t have a moment of boredom.

So this Sat. Sept 5, squeeze into your flashiest tights, don your cape, bring out your mask and head to Strange Matter for a one of a kind event.

Cost of the show is $15. The madness starts at 8 pm. Grab your tickets here.

Amy David

Amy David

Amy David was the Web Editor for RVAMag.com from May 2015 until September 2018. She covered craft beer, food, music, art and more. She's been a journalist since 2010 and attended Radford University. She enjoys dogs, beer, tacos, and Bob's Burgers references.




more in art

Review | BLKS is a Mixed Bag at Richmond Triangle Players

I often come off like a chihuahua on sugar pills when reviewing plays for this magazine. I am excitable, yes, but never in the service of idle flattery. I also take no joy in being critical of people’s hard work. I’ve said this whole thing before several times, but I...

Review | Dog Mom is Theatre at Its Best, Here or Anywhere Else

There are days of doing this when I just get to gush. Today is one of those days.  I have had the pleasure this past year of witnessing some of the best theatre of my life. VA Rep’s Primary Trust floored me. Richmond Shakespeare continued their epic run of hits...

Studio Two Three Is Beefing With Bots. Among Other Things

Studio Two Three has been around long enough to forget how likely it was to fail. Sixteen years ago, a small group of friends wanted to keep making art in Richmond. They pooled money from working in local restaurants to pay rent, borrowed equipment and built an...

Richmond Got a Little Filthier. John Waters Was Here.

Monday night I got taken to a church of filth. The Pope of Trash, the Prince of Puke, the Sultan of Sleaze, John Waters, graced the Byrd Theatre for a sold-out one-man show. The actor, writer and director became famous for cult classics like Pink Flamingos, Hairspray...

It’s Still Our City Ep. 24 | Ed Harrington

RVA Mag and NODDERLY presents It’s Still Our City, a podcast hosted by Harrison Christy and with Clair Morgan as co-host and producer through NODDERLY. "Ed Harrington moved to Richmond in 1993 to study art at VCU. At VCU, he was a Communication Arts major with a...

Review | Virginia Rep Gets Everything Wrong, and It’s Hilarious

Okay, I wasn’t prepared for the complete gut-busting insanity of The Play That Goes Wrong at Virginia Repertory Theatre’s November Theatre. Before heading to the Iron Blossom Festival this past Sunday, I caught a matinee. I didn’t know much about this play other than...