Viewing  Antoine Wagner’s cinematic tribute to music and opera

Opera curtains play a starring role in the work of Antoine Wagner, whose photographs of their blood-red, silky folds at Tristan Hoare Gallery make us look at them anew. The French-American artist and film director has captured those that adorned opera houses graced by soprano Maria Callas throughout her 36-year career. Through his lens, we see how they are more than just stage coverings – they play an active part in shaping an audience’s experience, concealing and revealing, and serving as visual and symbolic thresholds.

Wagner’s new video work, Where It Starts, It Ends invites us to have an intimate exchange with the visceral velvet fabric. When staring at the abstract drapery, you can almost imagine yourself in Callas’ shoes, counting down the seconds to when she will step on stage. After viewing Wagner’s work, you’ll never see a stage curtain the same way again.