When is the LIGHT TOUCHES exhibition open?

The exhibition is open from August 27, 2026, to January 2, 2027, Tuesday to Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM.

Where does LIGHT TOUCHES take place?

The exhibition takes place at Palais Bellevue, Schöne Aussicht 2, 34117 Kassel.

How much does admission cost?

Admission to the exhibition is free.

Is the exhibition accessible?

Yes, the exhibition is accessible and leads through several rooms on three floors of Palais Bellevue.

Are there accompanying events?

Yes, the program includes discussions, readings, and a leporello workshop. Registration is required for the workshop on October 25, 2026.

Who is presenting the exhibition?

LIGHT TOUCHES features works by the German graphic artist and designer Barbara Beisinghoff, known for color etchings, artist books, and handmade watermarks.

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

Name: LIGHT TOUCHES
Start: 2026-09-29T10:00:00+02:00
End: 2027-01-02T16:00:00+01:00
Location: Palais Bellevue - Salon

LIGHT TOUCHES: Barbara Beisinghoff's Poetic Watermarks at Palais Bellevue

At Palais Bellevue, Barbara Beisinghoff unfolds a quiet, concentrated art experience between light, paper, and language. Delicate handmade watermarked papers engage in a changing dialogue with daylight through the historic windows. Only in backlighting do intricate signs, text fragments, and image spaces become visible – an aesthetic experience on the threshold between the visible and the invisible.

When Light Becomes Language

The exhibition title refers to Beisinghoff's central artistic question: light touches matter, space, and perception. In the Sohar, the Book of Splendor, the first spark of light is also considered the first word. This connection between light and language forms a poetic starting point for the examination of the works. Paper does not appear here merely as a carrier of images but as an independent medium for memory, knowledge, and movement.

Palais Bellevue as a Resonance Space

The numerous windows of Palais Bellevue, built by Landgrave Karl in 1714 for astronomical studies, become an integral part of the installation. The transparent watermark works connect the inside and outside. Daylight, shadows, window axes, and historic architecture alter their spatial effect throughout the day and make the exhibition atmosphere a lively component of the curation.

Watermarks between Material and Immateriality

Barbara Beisinghoff has been working for decades with etching, artist's books, handmade paper, and watermarks. Her art penetrates the materiality of paper and allows forms, letters, and thoughts to emerge in the light. The delicate works require a slowed-down contemplation: depending on the location and brightness, they appear clear or almost dissolve.

Visual Axes, Literature, and Spiritual Spaces

On the first floor, a visual axis connects an ochre-colored watermark in the drawing room with the white work Light of the eye and of the mind in the opposite room. The restrained colors develop an intense spatial effect and direct attention to subtle transitions between surface, transparency, and immateriality.

On the second floor, visitors encounter watermark words from Christa Wolf's Kassandra. In the astronomy room, further works reference Georg Christoph Lichtenberg. A display case presents the artist's book KUPFERSTICHE BEWOHNEN from the Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard, as well as a white sheet with words from a poem by Marina Tsvetaeva, written with a water jet.

An Exhibition for Slow Seeing

Under the vaulted arch in the library, three levels of watermarks slowly revolve over one another. Movement is not created through spectacular effects but through the subtle changes of light and one's own position in space. Thus, the exhibition connects art historical reflection with sensual perception, cultural education, and concentrated examination of the works.

Accompanying Events

In conjunction with the exhibition, discussions, readings, and a leporello workshop will take place. Program highlights include a conversation with art historian Susanne Jakubzcyk, a workshop with Susanne Mihm-Lutz, a reading The World in the Window with Marcus Angebauer and Heiko Schimmelpfeng, as well as a conversation with Brigitte Zypries, former Federal Minister. Registration is required for the workshop.

Conclusion: Light as a Moving Aesthetic Experience

LIGHT TOUCHES opens a poetic space at Palais Bellevue for all who wish to experience paper, language, architecture, and light in an unusual connection. The exhibition invites visitors to look more closely, change their perspective, and perceive the subtle nuances between the visible and the invisible. A visit enriches the cultural experience in Kassel and makes Barbara Beisinghoff's distinctive connection of graphic art, artist's book, and installation immediately tangible.