Catherine Opie "The pause that dreams against erasure"

The Fridericianum presents the first institutional solo exhibition of 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 enter into a dialogue with the architecture and history of the historic building. Central bodies of work from a period of over thirty years are displayed: from early portrait photographs in the LGBTQIA* communities to photographic series that explore landscapes as resonant spaces for identity, hopes, and traumas, to documents of movements like Black Lives Matter or protests in the context of the presidency of Donald Trump. The questions of what makes a person, what influences shape them into who they are, how a detachment from determining societal influences is possible, and what alternative life concepts 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 encompasses primarily photographs, but also films, art books, and installations. Opie refers to the traditions of socially oriented photography of the 20th century and subjects them to a forward-looking, empathetic update. In doing so, she establishes her own visual language and aesthetics, making her one of the most influential positions of the present, along with the social relevance of her themes.