Mediated Realities - When crisis becomes content: what's real anymore? - 01/09/2025-30/01/2026

Mediated Realities


We see images of war, disaster and protest every day – but mostly through our screens. Filtered, streamed, and captioned: crisis arrives as content. But what does that do to our understanding of what’s real?

Mediated Realities brings together bold, thought-provoking works from the University of Salford Art Collection and university staff. The exhibition explores artists’ approaches in an age of 24/7 news, social media, surveillance and digital noise.

Some, like Richard Hamilton and Joe Tilson, rework newspaper and TV imagery into powerful reflections on history. Others, including Thomson & Craighead, use data to expose how media shapes – and sometimes warps – our perspective of the world.


These works challenge us to stop doom scrolling and really look. Are we witnessing events or just watching them? Are we informed, or manipulated?

What does it mean to see something today?


An install photograph of the 'Mediated Realities' exhibition in the New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery. 2 people are photographed looking at Wu Yue's artwork; UoS AC Team Assistant and Curator of this exhibition; Sam Parker, wearing black pants, blue shoes, and a mustard yellow top - fluffy hair as per usual. Alongside him is artist Chrystal Cherniwchan, wearing beige pants, de-saturated purple shoes, and a blue waistcoat over beige t-shirt. The walls are painted a deep electric blue. Artwork - Wu Yue's "a transparent separation" (2020). These are framed 35mm anaolgue photographs taken in Wuhan during the Pandemic in 2020. There are 12 of these photographs in total filling the left wall in a grid-like-fashion.

Install shots courtesy of Jules Lister

Join us for a free exhibition and a public programme of talks and events from September 2025 to January 2026.

Mediated Realities is selected and co-curated by Art Collection Team Assistant Sam Parker, part of a two year traineeship role with the team.


An still frame of Caitlin Griffiths' "Love in Red & Blue" in the 'Mediated Realities' exhibition in the New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery.
An close-up photograph of Richard Hamilton's "Kent State" in 'Mediated Realities' exhibition in the New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery.
An close-up shot of Mishka Henner's "Wasson Oil and Gas Field, Yoakum County, Texas" in the 'Mediated Realities' exhibition in the New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery.
An close-up shot of Thomson & Craighead's "The War On Terror" in the 'Mediated Realities' exhibition in the New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery.
An close-up shot of Joe Tilson's "Clip-o-matic Che (Vallegrande, Bolivia, October 10th)" in 'Mediated Realities' exhibition in the New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery.
An close-up shot of G. Tucker's "Monty" in the 'Mediated Realities' exhibition in the New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery.
An still frame of Sun Xun's "A War About Chinese Words" in the 'Mediated Realities' exhibition in the New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery.
An close-up photograph of Wue Yue's "a transparent separation" photographs series during the install of the 'Mediated Realities' exhibition in the New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery.