When does the exhibition take place

The exhibition runs from 2026-02-14 00:00:00 to 2026-07-19 18:00:00. The event start in the calendar is recorded for 2026-04-03 11:00:00.

What is the admission fee

The regular admission to the Fridericianum costs 6 Euros, reduced 4 Euros. Admission is free on Wednesdays.

Are there guided tours of the exhibition

Yes, the Fridericianum offers public tours as well as booked tours and workshops. The costs are included in the admission for public tours.

Is the museum accessible

Yes, access is possible via an outdoor ramp and two elevators. There are accessible toilets, seating areas, and assistance from the team.

How do I get to the Fridericianum

The museum is located at Friedrichsplatz 18 in Kassel. Visitors can take the tram to the Friedrichsplatz station; parking is available nearby.

Is it allowed to take photos in the exhibition

There are no verified details in the found sources regarding this. Information will follow.

Catherine Opie transforms Kassel into a quiet space of political visual power

Name: Catherine Opie – The Pause That Dreams Against Erasure
Start: 2026-04-03T13:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-07-19T20:00:00+02:00
Location: Fridericianum

Catherine Opie at the Fridericianum: An exhibition about visibility, identity, and societal memory

The Fridericianum presents The Pause That Dreams Against Erasure, the first institutional solo exhibition of Catherine Opie in Germany. The exhibition, specially designed by the artist for the historical building, unfolds an intense artistic experience between photography, film, artist books, and installation. It spans more than three decades of artwork development and connects personal visual spaces with the major political questions of the present.

A dialogue with architecture and history

Opie's presentation responds as precisely to the architecture of the Fridericianum as it does to its history as a European Enlightenment house. Spatial effects and artwork observation intertwine: The photographs unfold their quiet power in conjunction with the museum, whose open structure enhances the aesthetic experience. Thus, it creates not mere hanging, but a curated situation in which images, spaces, and memory reflect each other.

From portrait photography to societal visual spaces

Since the early 1990s, Catherine Opie has developed a multifaceted oeuvre that continues and rethinks the tradition of socially engaged photography of the 20th century. Her early portraits from LGBTQIA+ communities, inspired by the Renaissance, combine empathy with formal clarity. Later work groups open the view to landscapes as resonance spaces for identity, hope, and trauma. In this way, Opie shifts the classic genre of portrait and landscape into a contemporary visual language of great precision.

Memory, protest, and the present

A central part of the exhibition is dedicated to documentary works on Black Lives Matter and protest marches during the presidency of Donald Trump. These photographs not only depict political events but also make visibility itself a theme. The exhibition highlights how much Opie's work oscillates between observation and empathy. Her images are historical documents and at the same time artistic reflections on democratic participation, societal shaping, and alternative life models.

One of the most influential positions of the present

The selection of more than 70 works from over three decades grounds the exhibition in the art historical context of photography that does not register distantly but establishes relationships. Opie taught for many years at the University of California, Los Angeles, and has been shown internationally in significant museums and biennials, including the Whitney Museum, the Guggenheim Show in New York, LACMA, and MASP in São Paulo. The Fridericianum places this international reception within a concentrated museum framework.

Education and visitor experience

The Fridericianum accompanies the exhibition with guided tours, children's programs, and accessible education formats. Particularly interesting is the look at the interaction between art education and art experience: the exhibition is aimed not only at specialists but also at everyone who wants to discover photographic art as an aesthetic and societal experience. Those who visit the exhibition will encounter a calm yet urgent path full of visual power, historical depth, and current relevance.

Conclusion: Catherine Opie opens an impressive space for photography, memory, and political presence at the Fridericianum. This exhibition invites you to rethink visibility and experience art as a form of societal knowledge live. A visit to Kassel is definitely worthwhile.