When Time Inc. UK recently announced that, after 66 years in print, the NME would no longer exist in print format, it created a wave of nostalgia for days gone by. And, at the same time, inspired a contemporary photographic artist’s creativity.
Once an iconic music magazine, the NME was considered a zeitgeist-defining bible for rock fans and had the power to inspire new music scenes and make or break young bands. Now, in celebration of the magazine’s legacy, acclaimed British photographic artist Mark Vessey is issuing a limited edition photograph entitled 'New Musical Express’, exclusively through artrepublic.
Inspired by the magazine’s design and strong visual identity, Vessey chose the NME as his latest subject – for him, the spines of the magazine provided a unique way to tell the story of music culture. As such, his photograph features a stack of magazines spanning the last couple of decades, with special issues that were dedicated to the likes of The Clash, Nirvana, Radiohead, The Manic Street Preachers, Bob Dylan and The Who.
This exclusive piece is part of an ongoing body of work called Collections, which takes its inspiration from Vessey’s love of vintage magazines, books, records and classic packaging design. With the collector's obsessive eye for detail and every crease and scuff lovingly captured on medium format film in his Brighton studio, the photographer takes everyday objects and allows us to appreciate them in a new light – The Face magazine, James Bond novels and Penguin books have been the subject of earlier works. With 'New Musical Express' Vessey captures a very specific moment in time, and marks its place as an artefact of 20th and 21st century popular culture.
Fans of the magazine, and the artist, can pick up this limited edition ‘New Musical Express’, fresh off the printing press, at artrepublic from Thursday 5 April 2018 at 10AM . The C-Type photograph comes in two sizes - 80x80cm (edition of 50), and the rarer 110x110cm (edition of 15).
View our Mark Vessey collection, including this latest exclusive print, online or at our Brighton Gallery. Call 01273 724829 or email brighton@artrepublic.com.
