Exhibition opens featuring original works by Nicky Wire

Stephen Price

A powerful new exhibition by Nicky Wire of Manic Street Preachers has opened at a west Wales gallery, featuring a series of original works created by the Welsh music icon.

The exhibition at Narberth Museum, titled My Little Empire, features 25 new works, all revealing Nicky’s love of the Polaroid image.

The moving series of new pieces include depictions of Richard Burton, RS Thomas, Jean Paul Basquiat, Marilyn Monroe, Albert Camus and Derek Jarman, among others.

“Darned cool”

Sharing the news of the launch on Facebook, the museum wrote: “Nicky Wire, Narberth Museum Curator Pauline Griffiths and guest Curator Mark Lewis at the private view of Nicky’s new exhibition, My Little Empire, at Narberth Museum on Saturday 3 August.

“Never have Pauline and Mark felt so darned cool!

“The exhibition is now open to the public and available on the museum website.

“Please contact the museum (if you cannot visit in person) to chat about possible purchases.”

There are also several self-portraits in the collection, including the one pictured above, titled Sullen Welsh Heart.

This is Nicky’s second solo art exhibition and is being organised and guest curated by Mark Lewis, who worked with him on his debut solo exhibition in 2018 at Tenby Museum and Art Gallery.

Since 2012, Narberth Museum’s home has been the Bonded Stores,  a building with an original purpose – to keep people out.

Stored inside would have been hundreds of kegs full of valuable but duty-free whisky, brandy and rum.

Only when the Revenue Officer and the Stores Manager were both present with their keys could the double locks be opened.

The new Narberth Museum has chosen the symbol of the two keys as its logo – but now those same heavy doors are are thrown open, with world leading exhibitions such as the current one from the Manics legend.

Manics

The Manic Street Preachers’ latest release, ‘Lifeblood 20’ is out now, and the band are frequently asked about new music.

Nicky recently told NME: “The recording is ninety per cent done, but we haven’t mixed it yet. It will be out in January or February of next year.

“It has a lot of energy, even though I don’t feel particularly energised. One of the songs is like a mixture of The Cardigans and The Skids, who are two of our favourite bands, and another sounds like Come Up And See Me [by Cockney Rebel] played by Dinosaur Jr.”

Lifeblood 20 has been described by Nicky Wire as “our most estranged album of all” – it features two brand new remixes (CD and digital) of the album’s lead track ‘1985’, by Steven Wilson and Gwenno and is available to stream here.

A brand new photographic book by Valerie Phillips, featuring over 200 unseen Manics photos, title ‘Little Baby Nothings is also out now.

Copies of the book, along with a store exclusive t-shirt bundle, are available here.

Discussing the book, Nicky said: “I’m so grateful to Valerie for those intense 20 months when she saw all the energy and ragged glory of Manic Street Preachers, and more importantly captured our little bit of history seen here in these vivid, beautiful photographs.”

Find out more about Nicky Wire’s new exhibition and view all featured works here.

Images used with kind permission of Gareth Davies Photography Tenby.