Catherine Opie "The pause that dreams against erasure"

The Fridericianum presents the first institutional solo exhibition of Catherine Opie in Germany, alongside the artist's show 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 dialogue with the architecture and history of the historic building. Central groups of works from over thirty years are shown: from the early portrait photographs in the LGBTQIA* communities to photographic series that explore landscapes as resonant spaces for identity, hopes, and traumas, and including documentations of movements such as Black Lives Matter or protest marches in the context of Donald Trump's presidency. The questions of what defines a person, what influences shape them, how a detachment from determining societal influences is possible, and what alternative life concepts might be realistic options form the central framework for Catherine Opie's work. Since the early 1990s, the artist has been creating a complex body of work that includes photography, but also films, art books, and installations. Opie draws on the traditions of socially-oriented photography from the 20th century and subjects them to a far-sighted, empathetic update. In doing so, she establishes her own visual language and aesthetics, which, together with the social relevance of her themes, places her among the most influential positions of the present.