Curtain Up

Lowry, Salford presents Curtain Up from 18 April - 21 June 2026, an exhibition that explores how visual artists have sought to capture the shared anticipation, heightened emotions, and communal energy of being in an audience.

For Curtain Up, Lowry has commissioned major new works from multidisciplinary artist Ulla von Brandenburg (Born in Germany. Lives and works in Paris), and Manchester-based artists Chris Paul Daniels and Rowland Hill. Much of von Brandenburg’s work centres on the exploration of theatre as a construct, and the boundaries between audience and actors, subject and object, reality and illusion.  The site-specific work Spirits are Matter is a hand- painted, expansive stage curtain, creating a physical and metaphorical threshold for visitors to enter through. Give Yourself a Round of Applause, by moving image artist Chris Paul Daniels is a new film made using footage from a variety of stage shows sourced from the North West Film Archive. Rowland Hill will present her largest audio-visual installation to date. Shown in the round, Carousel is inspired by the unique experience of gathering at the annual Loughborough Fair, now in its 805th year, which Hill has documented since 2012.

The feeling of unity, euphoria and the shared experience of being within a crowd is explored by painters Denzil Forrester and Joy Labinjo, who capture the energy and power of nightclubs and live music. While multi-media artist Simeon Barclay draws on his experience of the British underground jazz scene. Ryan Mosley depicts actors and dancers performing, framed by the stage and audience in his paintings.

Further artworks address a variety of themes, including the architecture of performance spaces. Multidisciplinary artist Bridget Smith draws on the visual language of the cinema, while Abigail Reynolds creates collages centred on the Minack Theatre, a renowned clifftop amphitheatre in Cornwall.

Where: Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ

When: Saturday 18 April - Sunday 21 June 2026

Gallery Opening Times: Tue-Fri 11am-5pm | Sat-Sun 10am-5pm. Closed Mon, except bank holidays.

Admission: Free

Further Information: Curtain Up | Flickr

Venue details