Coming Soon | wrestle room
10 OCTOBER - 31 OCTOBER 2026
SAVE THE DATE! The opening party for WRESTLE ROOM will be at Atom Gallery on friday 9 october, 6pm-9pm
Sir Peter Blake and Masters of the Canvas
Wrestle Room features prints from Sir Peter Blake's Wrestlers set.
Blake, best known for the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band cover, once told a magazine that if he hadn't been an artist, he'd have wanted to be Kendo Nagasaki. That admission became the seed of Masters of the Canvas, a 1992 BBC Two Arena film in which Blake finally got Nagasaki to sit for a portrait: two masters of the canvas, in near-total silence.
Luke Haines performs 9½ Psychedelic Meditations on British Wrestling
Musician and artist Luke Haines (The Auteurs, Black Box Recorder) will perform an acoustic rendition of his cult concept album 9½ Psychedelic Meditations on British Wrestling of the 1970s & Early '80s at the gallery during the run. Date to be confirmed.
"Think outside the ring"
The curators gave the artists one instruction: think outside the ring. Just as every wrestler builds a persona, a ring name, a gimmick, a signature move, a mask, each artist was invited to put on the cape and bring their own energy into the ring.
The results are not what you'd expect from a wrestling-themed exhibition.
"I've always been fascinated by my own memories of watching the wrestling as a child at my Nan's house. My sister and I would sit and draw all the larger-than-life characters… A uniquely colourful fun pantomime. There's an obvious comparison to be drawn with the chaos of the current political climate; the pantomime of wrestling with its nonsense rules, random gimmicks and larger than life characters is a bit of a mirror to what's happening in the world right now." — Matt Littler, co-curator
"Pure escapism, a bit of showbiz nonsense, sweaty working class glamour, fleshy pantomime, Saturday afternoon micro violence." — Mark Perronet, co-curator
Who's in the show?
Sir Peter Blake, Luke Haines, Phill Jupitus, Haus of Lucy, Michelle Thompson, Ryca (Ryan Callanan), Donk, Carl Stimpson, JBoy, Subversive Stitcher, Heath Kane, Monet Shot, Danny Noble, Mr Edwards, Russell Taysom, Shuby, Oh My, Charlie Ratcliffe, Monica Forsberg, Tom Buchanan, Richard Pendry, Kim-a-Tron, Mark Perronet, Matt Littler, Matt Small, Panchoballard, and Mars Black
Visiting Wrestle Room
Where: Atom Gallery, 127 Green Lanes, London N16 9DA
When: 10 – 31 October 2026
Private view: Friday 9 October, 6–9pm
Admission: Free
Opening hours: Thursday–Friday 11am–5pm, Saturday 11am–6pm. Monday–Wednesday usually 11am–3pm — please phone to check.
Getting here: 8 minutes' walk from Canonbury Overground. Buses 141 and 341. Near Newington Green and Clissold Park. Access: The gallery is on one level and wheelchair accessible, with a ramp and double doors.
Frequently asked
Is Wrestle Room free? Yes. Entry to Atom Gallery is always free.
Can I buy the artwork? Yes — all works are for sale in the gallery and through our online shop. Most Atom prints are under £100, and we offer interest-free credit through Own Art on purchases from £250.
Will the Kendo Nagasaki print be signed? Yes. Kendo will sign prints at a ceremony during the exhibition.
Do I need a ticket for the private view? No! Just show up, no ticket needed.
Where is Atom Gallery? 127 Green Lanes, Stoke Newington, London N16 9DA — on the border of Hackney and Islington. Full visitor info.
Sir Peter Blake, Luke Haines and a print release signed by the legendary masked wrestler Kendo Nagasaki headline a new group show at Atom Gallery this October
This October, Atom Gallery invites you to the ring. Wrestle Room is a group exhibition of more than twenty artists — including Sir Peter Blake, Heath Kane, Ryca, Luke Haines and Haus of Lucy — celebrating the sequins, sweat and Saturday-afternoon theatre of British wrestling's golden age: the era of Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, Mick McManus and Kendo Nagasaki.
All work will be for sale, in the gallery and on our website.
A Kendo Nagasaki print, signed by the man behind the mask
Atom Gallery is releasing a new limited edition print of Kendo Nagasaki, the masked wrestler who became one of the biggest and most mysterious draws of British wrestling's televised heyday, at a time when ITV's World of Sport pulled audiences of up to fourteen million.
The prints will be signed by Kendo himself at a signing ceremony during the exhibition. Date to be confirmed — Sign up below to be first to hear.
