When can I visit the exhibition LIGHT TOUCHES?

The exhibition is on view from August 27, 2026, to January 2, 2027. The regular opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where does LIGHT TOUCHES take place?

The exhibition is located at Palais Bellevue, Schöne Aussicht 2, 34117 Kassel.

How much is the admission fee?

Admission to the exhibition is free.

Is the exhibition barrier-free?

Yes, the exhibition is barrier-free across several rooms and three floors of Palais Bellevue.

Are there accompanying events?

Yes, discussions, a guided tour, a leporello workshop, and a reading are offered. Registration is required for the workshop on October 25.

How long does a visit take?

There is no fixed duration for a visit. It is recommended to allocate sufficient time for experiencing the works across three floors.

LIGHT TOUCHES: How Barbara Beisinghoff Transforms Paper, Light, and Language

Name: LIGHT TOUCHES
Start: 2026-09-25T10:00:00+02:00
End: 2027-01-02T16:00:00+01:00
Location: Palais Bellevue

LIGHT TOUCHES: When paper begins to glow in backlight

In Palais Bellevue in Kassel, Barbara Beisinghoff transforms light, paper, and language into a poetic art experience. Delicate handmade watermark papers engage in a silent dialogue with the historic building in front of the windows. Only in backlight do intricate signs, words, and image spaces reveal themselves.

Between the Visible and the Invisible

The exhibition is barrier-free and leads through three floors of Palais Bellevue. Daylight penetrates the gossamer paper works and makes the watermarks tangible as moving traces between transparency and density. Inside and outside intertwine into an atmospheric installation where the windows themselves become carriers of images.

Watermarks as Poetic Writing

The starting point of the exhibition is the idea that light and language are connected. In the Sohar, the Book of Splendor, the first spark of light appears at the same time as the first word. This connection shapes the experience of the works in Palais Bellevue: Visitors encounter literary references in the artworks, including those to Christa Wolf's Cassandra, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, Gaston Bachelard, and Marina Tsvetaeva.

Rooms Full of Light, Text, and Movement

On the first floor, a visual axis connects an ochre-colored watermark in the fireplace room with the white work Light of the eye and of the mind in the opposite room. In the Astronomy Room, further watermark images appear at the windows. A showcase displays the artist book Copper Etchings inhabit from the Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard, as well as a white sheet with a poem written by Marina Tsvetaeva using a water jet.

Under the vaulted arch of the library, three levels of watermarks rotate slowly over one another. This installation makes the exhibition atmosphere physically tangible: Light moves, shapes shift, writing appears and disappears again. The aesthetic experience arises from the delicate nuances between materiality and immateriality.

Barbara Beisinghoff and the Art of Paper

Barbara Beisinghoff, born in 1945, studied art education and free painting in Hanover. Her work includes color etchings, artist books, handmade papers, watermarks, and installations. In her artistic practice, paper transforms from a mere image carrier into an independent movement space for signs, color sounds, and light effects. Her works are in public collections and museums in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. Beisinghoff has received, among others, the Georg Christoph Lichtenberg Prize for visual arts, the international Senefelder Prize for lithography, the city printer prize Mainz, and the art prize of the Heitland Foundation.

Accompanying Events and Cultural Education

Associated with the exhibition are conversations, a guided tour, a leporello workshop, and a reading with prose and letters from Rosa Luxemburg to James Salter. The workshop on October 25 from 2 to 5 p.m. requires registration. A printed visitor guide accompanies visitors through the exhibition.

Conclusion: A Tranquil Art Experience with Lasting Impact

LIGHT TOUCHES opens a contemplative access to installation, paper art, and literature. The exhibition invites visitors to look closely, recognize light as an artistic material, and explore the transitions between word, space, and memory. Those who want to fully grasp the aesthetic experience of these transparent works should definitely visit Palais Bellevue in Kassel live.