Tony Wilson Archive x Smolenksy Gallery

Welcome to the Smolensky Gallery, an art gallery founded in 2020 and based in Manchester. We were founded with a simple mission: to make the art world more accessible to a wider demographic.Our gallery is contemporary and eclectic, featuring works from both emerging and blue chip artists. We are proud to support up and coming artistic talent, both from our native Manchester and the rest of the world.We believe that buying art should be an exciting experience. To that end, our team of experienced art consultants offers a professional, bespoke and flexible service to all of our clients, whether experienced collectors or first-time buyers. We spend time understanding our clients’ portfolios and provide the right knowledge and tools to ensure they buy wisely.You can find us online www.smolenskygallery.comFollow us: @smolenskygalleryOpening TimesMonday - Wednesday: Appointment OnlyThursday - Saturday: 12 - 7pmSunday: 12 - 5pm21-23 Quay Street, SpinningfieldsM3 4AE

SMOLENSKY GALLERY

Tony Wilson Archive teams up with Smolensky Gallery for first ever public exhibition with special edition prints released.

Smolensky Gallery

It’s near impossible to have a conversation about the history of Manchester’s music culture without one man and his impact on the city coming into the conversation, legendary broadcaster and co-founder of Factory Records, Tony Wilson.Joy Division, Happy Mondays, New Order and the Haçienda Nightclub are just some of the Manchester icons Tony Wilson aka ‘Mr Manchester’ played a part in creating.Having been preserved and catalogued in museum vaults for the last nearly 20 years the Wilson family, led by Tony's son Oliver, are proudly partnering with Smolensky Gallery to host the first public exhibition held by the Tony Wilson Archive of his works.The immersive exhibition curated by Smolensky Gallery will feature an intimate collection of personal letters, photography, memorabilia and artwork, exploring Wilson’s impact on music, design and culture in Manchester.The exhibition will be anchored by 10 newly released risograph prints from the TWA M3 Collection which will be released throughout the year with the first edition available to view for the first time at the exhibition, with others released throughout the year. Designed in collaboration with Manchester-based artists <a href="http://dr.me/" title="http://dr.me/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">DR.ME</a>, The Tony Wilson Archive embodies the Wilson ethos with all works made in Manchester by local artists.Discussing the journey of the achieve from being discovered in Tony Wilson’s loft, through two museums vaults, to the British pop archive and now being brought back to life with current artists, there will be a panel talk with Oli Wilson (son of Tony Wilson), Joe Wilson (Smolensky Gallery), Mat Bancroft (Curator, John Rylands Library), Jan Hicks (previously creator at Museum of Science and Industry), John Cooper (owner of Cerysmatic Factory), <a href="http://dr.me/" title="http://dr.me/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">DR.ME</a> (artists Ryan and Eddie from Salford Design Studio), as well as the legacy Tony Wilson left on music culture and the city.Following the panel talk Oli Wilson will be playing rare Factory Records tracks from Tony Wilson’s personal record collection and demonstrating the lineage between Tony Wilson and Manchester’s music scene with support from DJ Pablo Blanquito.The free exhibition will be open to the public on 20 June 2025 and run until 31 July 2025.Tony Wilson fans will also have a chance to purchase limited edition prints from the 10-piece M3 Collection risograph print series. Released exclusively for sale through Smolensky Gallery in a limited run of 50 prints, with new prints released almost every month over an 18-month period.Oli Wilson said: “This is the first time we’re doing something in the real world as the Tony Wilson Archive so it’s great to finally get here and be doing an exhibition with Smollensky Gallery, which I think is a great space and I couldn’t think of a better place in Manchester for our home over the next 12 months.It’s been a long journey for the archive over the last nearly two decades and I look forward to the panel conversation with the people who have been a part of that.. including the archivists and experts that have looked after it along the way.It’s been a huge joy for me to share the archive with the world. It’s really inspiring. All of the items tell a really unique story. A lot of these items haven’t been seen since the actual time they were made.. so it feels like an honour to bring them out into the world again, doubly so in doing it with <a href="http://dr.me/" title="http://dr.me/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">DR.ME</a> who have ensured process and production qualities in line with the original Wilson ethos.” Owner of Smolensky Gallery and exhibition curator Joe Wilson said: “Tony Wilson’s impact on this great city is everywhere to see and hear, as the music he helped to shape enjoys its renaissance. It's only right that the cultural works of Mr Manchester are available for everyone to see and enjoy.”Featured Works will include:<ul><li>10-piece FAC Collection risograph print series – Limited edition, handcrafted in Manchester, to be released over 10 months.</li><li>Archival artefacts – Original ephemera, letters, and memorabilia from Factory Records, The Haçienda, and beyond</li><li>Collaborations with local creatives – New editions produced with <a href="http://dr.me/" title="http://dr.me/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">DR.ME</a> and other Manchester-based artists</li></ul>

Agenda

Meet the curators, collaborators and special guests