Catherine Opie "The pause that dreams against erasure"

The Fridericianum presents the first institutional solo exhibition by Catherine Opie in Germany, parallel to the artist's exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The presentation has been specifically designed by the artist for the Fridericianum, allowing the works to engage in a dialogue with the architecture and history of the historic building. Key groups of works from over thirty years are showcased: from early portrait photographs in the LGBTQIA* communities, to photographic series that explore landscapes as resonance spaces for identity, hopes, and traumas, to the documentation of movements such as Black Lives Matter or protest marches in the context of Donald Trump's presidency. The questions of what constitutes a person, what influences shape them into what characterizes them, how a detachment from determining social influences is possible, and what alternative life models could be realistic options, form the central framework for Catherine Opie's work. Since the early 1990s, the artist has been working on a complex body of work that includes photographs, but also films, art books, and installations. Opie draws on the traditions of socially oriented photography of the 20th century and subjects it to a far-sighted, empathetic update. In doing so, she establishes her own visual language and aesthetics, which, along with the social relevance of her themes, makes her one of the most influential positions of the present.