A painting of former Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards is set to appear in a London exhibition of portraits of missing people this week. Check it out below.
The guitarist and lyricist disappeared in 1995 at the age of 27 and has never been seen since. He was officially declared “presumed dead” in 2008.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the charity Missing People, curator and artist Ben Moore has organised the exhibition Unmissable at The Other Art Fair in Brick Lane. His own brother Tom disappeared in 2003. Among the work on display is a portrait of Edwards by artist Will Teather, who described the missing Manic as “one of his teen idols”.
“Edwards is still missing of course, and creating this artwork has caused me to reflect yet again on the loss of his talent, but also how hard it must be for any family to never know the fate of their siblings,” said Teather. “Now, I hope that I have paid a fitting to tribute to one of the missing idols of my youth.”
The @theotherartfair London will present UNMISSABLE this weekend, an exhibition of poignant new portraits that depict the faces of missing persons. It includes my portrait of Richey Edwards, one of my teen idols.#missingpeople #otherartfair #otherartfairlondon #richeyedwards pic.twitter.com/0AZfdMtv0B
— Will Teather (@will_teather) March 13, 2019
Edwards’ sister Rachel has been campaigning for missing person’s charities as she continues to investigate the truth of her brother’s whereabouts.
“For the last 24 years I have lived in hope of solving the mystery of what happened to Richard. I am desperate for news as to his fate and am appealing to the public to help me,” she said in a statement.
“I hope the exhibition will be a poignant and effective way of raising awareness for Missing People – a charity that has and continues to support my family and I for almost 25 years. I’m so pleased that the money raised will go towards helping them to continue to be there for others like me and will shine a light on all missing people, and their families, and hopefully bring us some answers.”
Meanwhile, Moore added: “Since my brother went missing, I have developed a strong connection with Rachel Edwards as we both share the same belief that our brothers are still with us living and breathing on the planet and the hope that we will one day see them again.
Unmissable includes paintings by 25 artists of 25 missing people, with all work for sale in aid of charity. The Other Art Fair is at the Truman Brewery from March 14 – 17.
Earlier this year, a new book was released featuring Richey’s own archive material for the first time and in full co-operation with his family, with new evidence suggesting that the guitarist could have staged his own disappearance.
Rachel has continued to campaign on behalf of missing people in her search for Edwards. Last year, she spoke out to claim that new evidence could hold the truth to his whereabouts. She has has also been working with with The Missing People’s Choir – who recently entered Britain’s Got Talent.
Edwards’ last recorded work was the Manics’ 1994 masterpiece ‘The Holy Bible‘, although they later revisited lyrics he left behind for 2009’s acclaimed ‘Journal For Plague Lovers’.
To donate to the Missing People charity, text HOPE plus your donation amount (i.e. HOPE £10) to 70707, and for more information visit here.
Meanwhile, May will see the remaining Manic Street Preachers embark on a UK tour to celebrate the recent 20th anniversary of their acclaimed 1998 album ‘This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours‘.