At this point, it might go without saying that I’m a fan of trading cards, specifically wrestling trading cards, and I think the primary reason for this is because I love the art of photography. Professional wrestling and photography go hand-in-hand, like peanut butter and jelly. I believe that what has emerged in recent years is a new golden age of wrestling photography, and one of the young stars of wrestling photography is Nick Karp (@NickKarpPhotos on Instagram and X). Though he doesn’t exclusively shoot professional wrestling, Karp may be known best by wrestling fans for his work at Game Changer Wrestling (GCW).
In fall of 2020, a collection of Karp’s photographs shooting deathmatches amidst the COVID pandemic, titled Death in COVID, was published by Orange Crush, the wrestling and art publication founded by Adam Abdalla in 2020, and just this past summer, Abdalla published a new collection of Karp’s photographs.
Death in COVID by Nick Karp
The new book, VISITORS, is “an exceptionally rare look at the bloody and tender moments of life on the road. Featuring 200 pages of match and behind-the-scenes shots by storied wrestling photographer Nick Karp, the limited-edition hardcover book, handsomely hand-painted in blood red, showcases a group of wrestlers far from home, fulfilling a lifelong dream.”
VISITORS by Nick Karp
I recently had the opportunity to review a copy of VISITORS, and I can enthusiastically say that fans of independent wrestling and/or photography should buy a copy of this book.
VISITORS begins, essentially, with no warning, and no text. The reader, who is a visitor themself, is immediately thrust into the lives of the GCW roster, as they board their flight and arrive in Japan. These are behind the scenes images that most wrestling fans have never or will never see.
There’s casual, candid photographs of John Wayne Murdoch applying deodorant, and Jordan Oliver smoking a cigarette, reflected in a mirror. There’s backstage posed photographs of BUSSY (EFFY and Allie Katch) and Los Macizos (Ciclope and Miedo Extremo).
There’s also a plethora of ringside photographs of bloody wrestling action.
Jordan Oliver smoking a cigarette, photograph by Nick Karp
VISITORS is divided into three main sections — Shinkiba, Freedoms and Korakuen — with each section documenting a different GCW show. Until the publisher’s and artist’s notes, at the end of the book, the only text, really, are those three section titles. There are, cleverly, photographs of the match cards for some of the matches photographed, which gives the reader a better sense of the individuals being photographed, but otherwise there are no titles or text provided for the individual photos.
This does make me curious how less informed fans of wrestling, or non-fans, might respond to VISITORS, but I think the quality of the photographs speak for itself. These are well-composed fine-art photographs, and I believe they can, and will, be appreciated by fans of independent wrestling, as well as appreciators of fine-art photography.
The other factor is that these photographs are bloody. Many of these photographs are of deathmatches, or at least hardcore matches, and many of them depict violence and injury caused by barbed wire, light tubes, or, in the case of Maki Itoh, a pizza cutter.
Aside from the in-ring violence, the aftermath of these matches is possibly the most disturbing element of the book. In one photograph, GCW Ultraviolent Champion Rina Yamashita is having a piece of barbed wire carefully cut out of her bloody, tousled hair. In another photo, Miedo Extremo is having the back of his right shoulder treated after it appears to be ground into hamburger meat.
Thanks to Karp and his camera, the reader can clearly see every little cut and tear in delicate human skin. VISITORS is not for the squeamish.
Sugiura and Daisuke Masaoka, photograph by Nick Karp
But with that said, VISITORS isn’t unlike other transgressive works of art. It may not be for everyone, but those who appreciate it will love it.
VISITORS is a collection that you truly have to experience to appreciate, and you can buy a copy now for $75 from the Orange Crush website. The print run is limited to 1,000 copies, so order yours now, before you miss out.
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