“40 over 40” portrait exhibition unveiled at MediaCity

A portrait exhibition has been unveiled at MediaCity that will celebrate the beauty, strength, and stories of women over 40. 

The project, “40 over 40 by Manchester photographer Vilija Skubutė is being hosted at the Quayside Shopping Centre in MediaCity.

The exhibition itself will be on display on the second floor of the shopping centre and will be available to view from Thursday 28 August until Thursday 4 September.

The project began in Manchester, and features portraits of participants from across the region and beyond.

Throughout the pop-up exhibition, Vilija, is using the experience to showcase that being over 40 is not an endpoint, but a beginning.

Salford residents will be able to explore a time when many may feel stronger, more confident, and more in control of their current lives.

And far from “settling down, ” women are starting businesses, changing careers, and embracing new freedoms that were once deemed out of reach.

The exhibition will explore the stories behind every woman —a life shaped by experience, strength, vulnerability, resilience, and transformation.

And this is why the exhibition is so important being a celebration and a statement that women over 40 deserve to be seen, heard, and valued.

By hosting this project in MediaCity, one of the UK’s most vibrant cultural and creative hubs, it aims to spark conversation and recognition around the importance of representation in the arts.

Vilija Skubutė, originally from Lithuania studied Photography for her MSc at Salford University and is based in Trafford, Manchester.

And her work is influenced by editorial photography but deeply rooted in emotional storytelling.

Her studio has become a space where women come not just to be photographed—but to be heard, seen, and celebrated.

Residents will be able to experience Skubutė’s mission, which was to bring these stories to light and give them the space they deserve.

Each portrait session is more than a photo shoot—it’s an empowering journey of rediscovery.

Some women arrived to mark personal milestones, others came carrying stories of loss, survival, and reinvention. All left with a renewed sense of self.

The “40 Over 40” exhibition has been on display from Thursday 28 August until Thursday 4 September – and more information can be found here.