A pop-up portrait exhibition at Salford Quays is celebrating the beauty, strength and stories of women over 40.
The project, 40 over 40, is by photographer and Salford University graduate Vilija Skubutė.
The exhibition is on the second floor of the Quayside shopping centre from Thursday 28 August until Thursday 4 September.
The project features portraits of participants from across the region and beyond.
Skubutė 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 each woman —a life shaped by experience, strength, vulnerability, resilience and transformation.
It aims to spark conversation and recognition around the importance of representation in the arts.
Skubutė, originally from Lithuania, studied Photography for her MSc at Salford University and is based in Trafford, Manchester.
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.
Her mission 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.
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