When does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition runs from February 14, 2026, to July 19, 2026.

Where is the Fridericianum located?

The Fridericianum is located at Friedrichsplatz 18 in 34117 Kassel.

What is the entrance fee?

The regular entrance fee is 6 euros, reduced 4 euros. Entry is free on Wednesdays.

Are there guided tours of the exhibition?

Yes, the Fridericianum offers guided tours and curatorial walks. The costs are included in the entrance fee.

Is the museum accessible?

The Fridericianum describes itself as an open house and provides, among other things, assistance for people with disabilities as well as access for assistance dogs.

How do I get there best?

The Fridericianum is easily reachable by tram. The Friedrichsplatz stop is in close proximity, and there are parking facilities in the area.

Catherine Opie at the Fridericianum: Photography as a quiet force of the present

Name: Catherine Opie: The pause that dreams against erasure
Start: 2026-05-08T13:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-07-19T20:00:00+02:00
Location: Fridericianum

Catherine Opie at the Fridericianum: An art experience between visibility and memory

With The pause that dreams against erasure, the Fridericianum presents the first institutional solo exhibition of Catherine Opie in Germany. The presentation, developed by the artist specifically for Kassel, brings together more than 70 works from over three decades in an intense dialogue with the architecture and history of the building.

Photography as testimony of a present

Opie is one of the most prominent voices in contemporary photography. Since the early 1990s, she has created a body of work including portraits, landscapes, and documentation that understands visibility not as a buzzword, but as an aesthetic and social question. Her images combine documentary precision with formal clarity, often carried by a quiet, almost painterly strictness.

Queer biographies, collective experience, political presence

The early portrait series from LGBTQIA* communities mark a key point in Opie's oeuvre: people appear not as marginalized figures, but as self-aware protagonists of their own reality. Later, the focus broadens to landscapes, houses, streets, and public spaces, which become resonance spaces for identity, hope, and vulnerability.

Between body, space, and protest

Particularly striking are those works in which Opie documents social movements, including Black Lives Matter and protest marches in the context of Donald Trump's presidency. Here, photography becomes a historical document as well as an emotional archive of a conflicted present. The Fridericianum places these images in an exhibition situation that consciously considers space, light, and visual guidance.

A place with art-historical depth

The Fridericianum, founded in 1779 and now an internationally renowned art hall, is itself a place of art-historical significance. Here, Opie's work unfolds a special resonance: questions of publicness, participation, democracy, and representation collide with a building that has been associated with cultural enlightenment for centuries. The exhibition thus becomes a contemplation of works that goes far beyond the individual image.

Education, tours, and museum experience

Alongside, the Fridericianum offers an extensive educational program with guided tours and curatorial walkthroughs. The offerings are tailored to various target groups and deepen the exhibition through art pedagogical and curatorial perspectives. For visitors, this creates an aesthetic experience that is both analytical and sensory.

Conclusion: This exhibition offers an extraordinarily precise view of an artist whose photography connects political presence, personal history, and formal beauty. Anyone wanting to experience art as a space for knowledge should definitely see Catherine Opie live at the Fridericianum.