Superwow Gallery and Chris Things are pleased to invite you to join us for a curated Mexican Wrestling group exhibition ‘The Joy of Lucha Libre', opening on Saturday 26 September at Superwow Gallery on the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
The unique Mexican cultural phenomenon of masked Mexican Wrestling or 'Lucha Libre' is one very close to the heart of Australian artist, Chris Bryan/'Chris Things'. This beautiful subculture is an art form all its' own that transcends borders, social classes & even straightforward definition. Is it sport? Theatre? B-Grade entertainment? Perhaps a spectacular combination of all three - wrapped up in brightly coloured signature masks, capes, baby oil and spandex!
This exhibition celebrates the heroes and villains (tecnicos and rudos), good versus evil, macho meets camp, silly and deathly serious - all quintessential opposing elements of 'Lucha Libre Mexicana'. Most of all, Lucha brings an undeniable universal joy to all who attend.
'The Joy of Lucha Libre' brings together a collection of over 20 artists from all around the world, to Moffat Beach, Queensland, Australia - each bringing their own interpretation of this fascinating subject matter.
Please join us for a very special opening night. Refreshments to be provided, courtesy of our sponsors @blackflag_brewing and @heapsnormal.
Opening Night:
5-8pm, Saturday, September 26
Superwow Gallery
6/30 Ulm Street,
Moffat Beach, QLD, Australia
FREE ENTRY‼️
Supported through the Regional Arts Development Fund,a partnership between the @qldgov, through @artsqueensland, and @sunshinecoastcouncil to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
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Velkan is a Chilean-Australian Luchador who I 1st saw whilst art-tabling for Australia’s travelling Lucha Libre fiesta, Lucha Fantastica, as their lead tecnico, the fierce & dynamic El Tigre.
As is often the case, there is much more to his story than might be seen from the surface. Velkan first honed his Luchador skills in Chile, before migrating to Australia post-COVID. Here is his fascinating story.
“My journey in professional wrestling started after the pandemic. During quarantine, I spent a lot of time watching wrestling and Lucha Libre. Once restrictions were lifted, I decided to give wrestling a try. At first, I had no expectations of turning it into a career. I was simply curious and wanted to have fun. My background in martial arts helped me progress quickly, and before long I had the opportunity to start wrestling.
Australia had actually been part of my plans before the pandemic, but the pandemic left me without the money I needed to make the move. I had to reinvent myself and work hard to save enough to finally make the trip.
During that period, wrestling was the only luxury I allowed myself. By the time I had finally saved enough to come to Australia, I realised that I had already spent around two years wrestling. That made me think: if I was going to start a new chapter in Australia, why not keep training and see how far I could take wrestling here?
When I arrived, I had very low expectations about actually getting opportunities to wrestle. My priority was simply to train, learn as much as possible and understand the Australian wrestling style. I spent my first two months training at PWA, focusing on learning and adapting rather than trying to get booked.
My first opportunity to wrestle in Australia came unexpectedly through Lucha Fantastica.
I met Víctor before one of their shows and showed him some of my work. What surprised me was that, while I had been thinking that I needed to adapt myself to Australian wrestling, the thing he liked most about my style was actually the part that reminded him of the wrestling he had watched in Mexico.
He told me he would like to have me on a future show. I asked him, “Why not now?”
He asked if I had brought my wrestling gear. I said yes.
Then he asked what colour it was.
“Yellow,” I answered.
A few minutes later, he came back with a mask.
That was the first time I became El Tigre.
Since then, Lucha Fantastica has been a very important part of my international wrestling journey. They gave me my first opportunity to begin building my career internationally, and over the past two years I have had the chance to travel around Australia with them and perform as El Tigre.
While El Tigre is a character I perform specifically for Lucha Fantastica, I have developed a deep appreciation for Mexican Lucha Libre through that experience. I have always tried to learn as much as I can from the style, the traditions and the way of presenting wrestling, with the goal of becoming a better wrestler and giving the audience a better show.
Lucha Libre has also given my journey in Australia a sense of purpose.
It has allowed me to meet incredible people, travel around the country, develop myself and experience Australia in a way I never expected when I first arrived. It has also become an important part of my identity as a wrestler. People now recognise and comment on my “Lucha style”, which is something I take great pride in.
I am very grateful that, as a Chilean wrestler who moved to Australia, I have had the opportunity to experience and participate in Mexican Lucha Libre through Lucha Fantastica. I see it as something I have been fortunate enough to learn from and contribute to with respect, rather than something I claim as my own cultural heritage.
That is why I am especially excited to be part of the Lucha Libre exhibition at Superwow Gallery.
Lucha Libre has become an unexpected and incredibly meaningful part of my journey on the other side of the world. Being able to celebrate it alongside Mexican, Latino and Australian artists in an Australian gallery feels like a very special continuation of that journey.
For this exhibition, I will be stepping into the gallery as El Tigre — the masked tecnico I have had the privilege of portraying through Lucha Fantastica — and I am incredibly excited to help celebrate the art, spirit and joy of Lucha Libre with everyone attending.”
Thank you Velkan! We are honoured to share your story & to welcome ‘El Tigre’ as our special Luchador guest for ‘The Joy of Lucha Libre’ on September 26th at Superwow Gallery. Big thanks to both Velkan & Lucha Fantastica for making this night even more special.
LUCHARAAAAN!
El Tigre will be joining us in the gallery to soak up the art & will welcome any chats and selfys with our patrons.
ENJOY!!
"The Joy of Lucha Libre with Chris Things" Opening Night
Date: September 26
Location: @superwow.gallery, Moffat Beach, QLD Australia
Time: 5-8pm
FREE ENTRY!
Thanks also to @aaronjcraig, @blackflag_brewing, @heapsnormal & @sunshinecoastcouncil for making this very unique art exhibition possible!
Supported through the Regional Arts Development Fund,a partnership between the @qldgov, through @artsqueensland, and @sunshinecoastcouncil to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.