12 June 2025
A panel talk and rare DJ set will launch the exhibition on June 19
The legacy of Factory Records and Haçienda co-founder Tony Wilson is set to be revisited this summer through a free public exhibition in Manchester, bringing rare and never-before-seen artefacts into the light for the very first time.
Opening at Smolensky Gallery on June 19 and running through to July 31, the exhibition will offer a deeply personal look into Wilson’s life and work, featuring flyers, invoices, memos, original artwork, and other key memorabilia drawn from the Tony Wilson Archive (TWA), currently held in the British Pop Archive at the John Rylands Library.
The immersive exhibition has been curated in collaboration with Manchester design studio DR.ME, and is steered by Wilson’s son, Oli Wilson, who has led efforts to make the archive accessible to the public following a successful Kickstarter campaign launched last year.
“This is the first time we’re doing something in the real world as the Tony Wilson Archive,” said Oli Wilson. “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 huge joy for me to share the archive with the world. It’s really inspiring. All of the items tell a really unique story... So it feels like an honour to bring them out into the world again, doubly so in doing it with DR.ME who have ensured process and production qualities in line with the original Wilson ethos."
A launch event will mark the opening on June 19at 6PM, including a panel discussion featuring Oli Wilson alongside curators and representatives from John Rylands Library and Smolensky Gallery. Attendees will also be treated to a DJ set from Wilson, who will play rare Factory Records tracks from his late father’s personal collection, joined by Manchester selector Pablo Blanquito.
Among the highlights, a curated series of 10 limited-edition risograph prints will be made available for purchase, offering fans a tactile slice of Manchester’s cultural heritage.
“Tony Wilson’s impact on this great city is everywhere to see and hear, as the music he helped to shape enjoys its renaissance,” said Joe Wilson, owner of Smolensky Gallery and curator of the show. “It's only right that the cultural works of Mr Manchester are available for everyone to see and enjoy.”
Tony Wilson, who passed away in 2007, is widely regarded as one of the defining cultural figures in Manchester’s post-industrial reinvention—an enduring voice behind Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays and the iconic Haçienda nightclub. This exhibition marks a significant moment in preserving and reactivating that voice, not only for music history enthusiasts but for the city itself.
