Fight Like a Girl!
Opening: Thursday, February 13, 2025 from 4:30-7:00 PM
February 9 - March 6, 2025
Wagner College’s Union Gallery is pleased to present FIGHT LIKE A GIRL!, a new body of work by photographer Nick Richardson. FIGHT LIKE A GIRL! is a collection of photographs taken in New York and New Jersey during 2024, highlighting female professional wrestlers performing in independent events.
The exhibit runs from February 9-March 6 with an opening on Thursday, February 13 from 4:30-6:30 pm. Books of Richardson's photographs will be for sale with all proceeds donated to Safe Horizons, a center providing emergency housing for domestic abuse victims.
The world of independent wrestling is welcoming, diverse, and thoroughly unique. It provides opportunities for creative work not seen in the more mainstream, televised promotions. Taking place in venues ranging from mid-sized arenas with a few thousand spectators to a VFW hall with only a few spectators, independent wrestling generates an environment that allows more intimate connections between fans and wrestlers. Female wrestlers are often treated as equals to their male counterparts in terms of competing for the same prize, the coveted champion's belt. However, female wrestlers are expected to perform at a higher-level concerning pageantry, presentation, and interaction with fans.
Working with show promoters, Richardson’s photographs were captured ringside or from a vantage point adjacent to the hard cam (the fixed video camera that records the entire ring). Richardson’s photographs capture the range of actions and emotions experienced by the wrestlers in the ring with surprising compositions and vivid colors, illustrating the larger-than-life personas, costumes, and athleticism. Richardson has had a long-term interest in female success in traditionally male-dominated fields, be it academic or athletic. Created using digital Nikon D5 or Z9 cameras, the colors are true to life, and he focuses on key moments in matches where a face is visible in order to highlight the emotions of that moment. The works in this exhibition are printed on handmade washi paper creating extra texture and dimension to the images. This is his second solo show on the topic of independent professional wrestling.
Nick Richardson’s website shows his recent wrestling photography.