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 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 a dialogue with the architecture and history of the historic building. Featured are key bodies of work spanning over thirty years: from early portrait photographs in the LGBTQI* communities, to photographic series that explore landscapes as resonant spaces for identity, hopes, and traumas, as well as documentation of movements like Black Lives Matter or protest marches in the context of Donald Trump's presidency. The questions of what makes a person, which influences shape them into what characterizes them, how a detachment from determinative societal influences is possible, and which 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 references the traditions of socially oriented photography of the 20th century and subjects them to a far-sighted, empathetic updating. In doing so, she establishes her own visual language and aesthetics, making her – alongside the societal relevance of her themes – one of the most influential positions of the present.