When is the HOSTLESS exhibition on view?

The exhibition is on view from October 3, 2026, to January 3, 2027, at the Fridericianum Kassel.

When does the opening take place?

The official opening begins on Friday, October 2, 2026, at 7 PM. A children's vernissage takes place on the same day from 5:30 PM to 7 PM.

How much does the entrance cost?

The regular entrance to the Fridericianum costs 6 euros. Discounts and free entry options apply according to the museum's information.

Is there an offer for children?

Yes. At the children's vernissage, children aged six to twelve explore the exhibition with the art education team and then continue creatively in the studio workshop. Participation is free and does not require registration.

Where is the Fridericianum located?

The Fridericianum is located at Friedrichsplatz 18 in 34117 Kassel. The tram stop Friedrichsplatz is in immediate proximity.

When is the museum open?

The Fridericianum is open from Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays from 11 AM to 6 PM. On Thursdays, extended hours apply until 8 PM.

HOSTLESS: Mohammed Sami's Rooms Make Memory Tangible at Fridericianum

Name: HOSTLESS – Mohammed Sami at Fridericianum
Start: 2026-10-15T11:00:00+02:00
End: 2027-01-03T18:00:00+01:00
Location: Fridericianum

HOSTLESS: Rooms Full of Memory at Fridericianum

With HOSTLESS, the Fridericianum in Kassel presents the first institutional exhibition of Mohammed Sami in Germany. From October 3, 2026, to January 3, 2027, the exhibition leads into contemporary painting, where interiors become psychological places. The exhibition opens on Friday, October 2, 2026, at 7 PM. Already from 5:30 PM to 7 PM, a children's vernissage invites young visitors aged six to twelve to explore the works together with the art education team.

Interiors Between Architecture and Memory

Mohammed Sami, born in 1984 in Baghdad and living in London, develops in his new series of works a painting of quiet unease. The eleven monumental paintings initially appear as interiors, architectural studies, or city views. Upon closer inspection, however, these apparent certainties dissolve: the spaces possess a physical presence and seem to carry memories, absence, and unspoken events within.

People do not directly appear in HOSTLESS. Their traces, however, remain present. A basement room, a nailed wooden door, a wall, or an abandoned room become graphic signs of a past that does not conform to a clear narrative. The exhibition works with gaps, condensing elements, and irritating details. Fear, longing, and threat remain palpable as atmospheric forces in the space.

Monumental Painting with Quiet Tension

Sami's canvases reach formats of nearly three by six meters. Their size intensifies the aesthetic experience: viewers do not encounter the images from a safe distance but enter an immediate exhibition atmosphere. Light falls obliquely into the spaces, shadows shift orientation, and colors oscillate between familiarity and strangeness. The painting thus unfolds an almost cinematic spatial effect without dictating a clear narrative.

The artist's style blends figurative painting with a psychological visual language. Architecture does not serve as a neutral motif but as a repository of inner processes. Materials, surfaces, and objects acquire a symbolic tension. The familiar tilts into the uncanny, while the absence of people generates a particular form of presence.

Curating, Cooperation, and Cultural Education

The Fridericianum realizes the exhibition in cooperation with the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst in Ghent and the Moderna Museet Malmö. Thus, HOSTLESS positions itself within an international discourse on contemporary painting, memory culture, and the political dimensions of personal spaces.

The children's vernissage on October 2 combines art education and personal creative practice. After jointly exploring the exhibition, the young participants engage with personal memories in the studio workshop and develop their own artistic works. Participation is free of charge, and no registration is required; children must be accompanied by adults.

Conclusion: An Artistic Experience Between Absence and Memory

HOSTLESS welcomes art enthusiasts with a compelling exhibition about spaces where the past is not explained but felt. Mohammed Sami's paintings invite a slow contemplation of the works and open a sensitive space of thought between architecture, body, memory, and loss. Those who wish to experience contemporary art as an aesthetic experience should definitely visit this exhibition at the Fridericianum live.