Lee Moriarty continues to garner as many art-related headlines as he does pro wrestling ones these days.
In the latest example, a press release was issued today to announce the debut solo gallery show ‘Balance’ for the AEW star from September 27 through October 18.
Featured below is the complete announcement with all of the details.
NIGHT GALLERY PRESENTING LEE MORIARTY: BALANCE
Artist and Pro Wrestler’s Debut Solo Gallery Show
—September 27 – October 18, 2025—
(Los Angeles, CA – August 13, 2025) — Night Gallery is pleased to present Balance, a debut solo exhibition of works by artist and pro wrestler Lee Moriarty, opening September 27, 2025. The exhibition showcases eight new paintings that feature an intimate view of masked wrestlers—captured not in combat, but in moments of reprieve and solitude. The exhibition is curated by Adam Abdalla, founder of Orange Crush: The Journal of Art & Wrestling.
Moriarty’s portraits reveal a different side of luchadors, known for their elaborate masks and larger-than-life personas typically seen in the ring. Here, they’re shown in quiet, everyday moments: one lounges in a beach chair beneath the sun; another builds a snowman on a quiet winter afternoon; a third peers through binoculars, birdwatching in a peaceful clearing. The paintings draw from Moriarty’s personal experience and are shaped by his background in lucha libre—he competed and trained in Mexico under luchadors including legendary wrestler Negro Navarro, learning the technical style known as llave. Through this lens, Moriarty’s work plays with the tropes of wrestling stereotypes, offering an insider’s take on the tension between spectacle and self.
Moriarty’s paintings debuted at NADA Miami 2024 in a sold-out presentation that drew wide attention from collectors and critics. Following the fair, one of his works was acquired by the Pérez Art Museum Miami for its permanent collection—making Moriarty the first active professional wrestler to have an artwork acquired by a major museum.
Lee Moriarty’s debut at Night Gallery aligns with the gallery’s commitment to showcasing artists who explore identity, performance, and narrative in unique and compelling ways. Balance marks the first major presentation of Moriarty’s evolving body of work, expanding traditional ideas of masculinity and identity. This exhibition also marks the first curatorial project for Adam Abdalla within a commercial gallery, who is known for his international work at the intersection of art and wrestling.
ABOUT LEE MORIARTY
Lee Moriarty (b. 1994, Pittsburgh) is a self-taught American artist and professional wrestler performing regularly on All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on TNT as well as TBS, and sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). Moriarty has been ranked as the 47th-best grappler on the planet by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, and currently holds the title of ROH Pure Champion. His presentation at NADA Miami 2024 in collaboration with Orange Crush marked his public debut as a visual artist. He will have his first gallery solo exhibition with Night Gallery in Los Angeles in September 2025. Artistically, Moriarty’s work often depicts wrestlers in repose, including intimate portraits of luchador icons like El Santo and Blue Demon. The art reflects an often underexplored duality within the lives of pro wrestlers, resonating with Moriarty’s own multi-hyphenate talent.ABOUT NIGHT GALLERY
Founded in 2010 by Davida Nemeroff, Night Gallery is Los Angeles’ leading platform for emerging artists. Originally offering late night openings in a Lincoln Heights strip mall, it relocated to downtown’s Arts District in 2013. The gallery has become the locus of LA’s flourishing visual arts community, maintaining its commitment to artists of diverse backgrounds while raising its international profile. Night Gallery’s current programming echoes the joyfully experimental approach of its early years while continuing to support its thriving artists and their innovative practices.
