Art and Wrestling Collide in 'VISITORS'

Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall is something of a mecca in the world of boxing and pro wrestling. Devoid of the frills of major sporting arenas, such as the neighboring Tokyo Dome, the small events space is modest in appearance — only holding up to 1,800 people, but it has become one of the biggest attractions in a city filled to the brim with cultural offerings.

Adam Abdalla is the founder of Orange Crush magazine, an annual publication that seeks to bridge the gap between art and wrestling. En route to Korakuen Hall for a night hosted by Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), he knew he’d be entering a spiritually bloody reckoning. Abdalla enlisted the help of photographer Nick Karp to document the entire experience — from gory faces of wrestlers pile-driving each other through nails, BTS shots before and after matches to everything in between.

For the non-believers, it’s difficult to appreciate an artistry tied to adults in spandex, suplexing each other through burning tables — but “Karp’s orientation of the medium marries pictorialism with preservative technology,” explains writer Reilly Davidson, “counterbalancing scenes of mayhem and repose. Faithful to the subject’s tumultuous and spectacular nature, the images on view deliver an exclusive window into wrestling mania.”

The resulting hardcover book, VISITORS, chronicles GCW’s historic night in Tokyo across 200 pages available to purchase online for $76 USD. For those in New York, VISITORS is currently exhibiting at the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) until May 5.

New Art Dealers Alliance
311 E Broadway,
New York, NY 10002