When does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition will be on view from 15.04.2026 at the Fridericianum in Kassel. According to the preview, it runs until 19.07.2026.

How much is the entrance fee?

The regular entrance fee at the Fridericianum is 6 euros, reduced 4 euros. Admission is free on Wednesdays.

Is the Fridericianum accessible?

Yes, the Fridericianum offers ramps, elevators, and accessible restrooms. Assistance dogs are allowed.

Are there guided tours of the exhibition?

Yes, the Fridericianum offers public tours as well as booked tours and workshops. The dates are posted in the event calendar.

How do I get there by public transport?

The Fridericianum is located near the Friedrichsplatz stop. Lines 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 run there.

Am I allowed to take photos in the exhibition?

Information about the photography rules should be checked directly with the Fridericianum before the visit.

Catherine Opie brings memory, identity, and political photography to Kassel

Name: Catherine Opie – The pause that dreams against erasure
Start: 2026-04-15T13:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-07-19T20:00:00+02:00
Location: Fridericianum

Catherine Opie at the Fridericianum: A photographic exploration of identity, resistance, and memory

With The pause that dreams against erasure, the Fridericianum presents the first institutional solo exhibition of Catherine Opie in Germany. The exhibition, specifically conceived by the artist for Kassel, unfolds an intense art experience between portrait, landscape, film, and installation – bringing central bodies of work from over three decades into a precise dialogue with the architecture and history of the building.

Photography as social and aesthetic testimony

Since the early 1990s, Catherine Opie has developed a distinctive visual language that combines socially oriented photography, art historical clarity, and great emotional density. Her early portraits from LGBTQI* communities made visible what the mainstream had long overlooked: self-assertion, intimacy, vulnerability, and collective belonging. The exhibition shows how Opie understands the medium of photography not as mere documentation but as a form of visual insight.

Landscapes, bodies, and the political present

A particular allure of this exhibition lies in the range of subjects. Opie’s landscape series open resonance spaces for identity, hope, and trauma; her works on Black Lives Matter and protest marches in the context of Donald Trump’s presidency shift the gaze on the political present. This creates a consideration of works in which private and public experience, individuality, and collective history appear inextricably linked.

A dialogue with the historical space

In the Fridericianum, this art gains a special exhibition atmosphere. The clear lines of photography meet the classicist architecture of the house, which has acted as a place of cultural education and curated contemporary art for centuries. It is precisely this spatial constellation that amplifies Opie's perspective on bodies, community, and social conditioning: What shapes a person? Which images capture identity? What alternative life concepts become visible?

Curating with social relevance

The presentation brings together photographs, films, art books, and installations, making the complexity of Opie’s practice tangible. Her works draw on traditions of social documentary photography of the 20th century but update them with great empathy and formal rigor. This is exactly where the strength of this exhibition lies: it connects art historical depth with an urgent contemporary question of visibility, belonging, and self-design.

Conclusion

Catherine Opie – The pause that dreams against erasure promises an impressive exhibition between intimate visual language and political foresight. Those who appreciate photographic art, contemporary art, and curatorially strong positions will experience an exhibition of high aesthetic power and social relevance in Kassel. A visit to the Fridericianum is particularly worthwhile because these works only fully unfold their effect in the space.