When can the Charles Ray exhibition be visited?

The exhibition opens on October 27, 2026 at 11 am. The regular opening hours of the Fridericianum are Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm, Thursdays until 8 pm.

How much is the admission to the exhibition?

The regular admission fee is 6 euros. The reduced admission is 4 euros. Students and apprentices pay 2 euros.

Are there guided tours of the exhibition?

Yes, the Fridericianum regularly offers public guided tours. The cost for public tours is included in the admission price.

Where does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition takes place at the Fridericianum at Friedrichsplatz 18, 34117 Kassel.

Is the exhibition suitable for children and teenagers?

Children and teenagers up to 18 years have free admission. The exhibition contains representations of nudity; for the work Oh! Charley, Charley, Charley… the Fridericianum recommends a minimum age of 16.

Is the Fridericianum accessible by public transport?

The Fridericianum is located at Friedrichsplatz in the center of Kassel. The tram stop Friedrichsplatz is in close proximity.

Charles Ray in Kassel: When Sculpture Transforms Space, Body, and Art History

Name: Charles Ray
Start: 2026-10-27T11:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-10-27T18:00:00+01:00
Location: Fridericianum

Charles Ray at the Fridericianum: Sculpture as an Intense Spatial Experience

From August 22, 2026 to January 3, 2027, the Fridericianum in Kassel will dedicate its first institutional solo exhibition in Germany to the American sculptor Charles Ray. The exhibition opens on October 27 at 11 am and leads into a concentrated artistic experience focused on physicality, spirituality, art history, and the question of how sculpture generates space.

Sculpture Between Body, Space, and Art History

Charles Ray, born in 1953 in Chicago and living in Los Angeles since 1981, is among the most significant sculptors of contemporary times. For more than five decades, he has explored the contemporary world, human physicality, and fundamental notions of spirituality through the means of sculpture. His works range from a few grams to almost twenty tons, combining conceptual precision with immediate physical impact.

The Exhibition as a Spatial Thought Movement

Ray's works deal with art history, the genesis of art, and its installation in space. For the artist, a sculpture, when to be embedded in space, must consist of space itself. This seemingly contradictory idea shapes the exhibition atmosphere: forms, scales, materials, and gaps become active components of the work's viewing experience.

At the Fridericianum, smooth surfaces, provocative body images, and spatially engaging sculptural situations intersect. The aesthetic experience arises not only from viewing individual works but also from the physical experience of distance, weight, presence, and movement. Sculpture appears as a space of thought where perception and art historical memory intertwine.

Charles Ray and the documenta City of Kassel

After his participation in documenta 9 in 1992, Charles Ray returns to Kassel with this exhibition. The Fridericianum thus connects international contemporary art with the unique history of a place closely associated with documenta and critical engagement with contemporary art.

The exhibition opens access to cultural education and is suitable for art enthusiasts, students, families with older teenagers, and anyone who wants to experience sculpture not just as observation, but as a physically and spatially impactful event. The exhibition includes depictions of nudity; the work Oh! Charley, Charley, Charley… hints at a virtual sexual act. The Fridericianum recommends viewing this work from 16 years onwards.

Visit and Exhibition Atmosphere

The Fridericianum is located at Friedrichsplatz in the center of Kassel. The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm, Thursdays until 8 pm. Public guided tours take place regularly and are included in the entrance fee. Curatorial tours and educational offerings also create in-depth perspectives on the presented works and their spatial staging.

Conclusion: Charles Ray at the Fridericianum promises an exhibition that makes sculpture experienceable as material, body, history, and space. Anyone wishing to experience contemporary art with art historical depth, sensual presence, and intellectual tension should not miss this artistic experience in Kassel.