Questions about what defines a person, what influences shape them, how social stereotypes can be overcome, and what alternative lifestyles could be conceivable and realistic options are all questions that form the core framework of Catherine Opie's practice. Since the early 1990s, the artist has been developing a complex, cross-genre body of work that includes photographs in particular, but also films, art books, and installations.

Born in 1961 in Sandusky, Ohio, and now living in Los Angeles, Opie works with three fundamental photographic genres: landscape, portrait, and documentation. These serve less as fixed categories and more as points of departure for a continuous exploration of issues of visibility and representation as well as the practice of photography as an act of witnessing. Her work combines documentary precision with artistic composition and poetic depth—from the early portrait photographs of her queer community, inspired by the painting tradition of the Renaissance, to series that explore landscape as a resonant space for identity, hope, and trauma, to her haunting documentaries of social movements such as Black Lives Matter to protest marches in the context of Donald Trump's presidency.

As a keen observer of society, Opie picks up on the tradition of 20th century socially engaged documentary photography—shaped by photographic stances of the likes of Lewis Hine, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, and Dorothea Lange—and updates it in a far-sighted, empathetic way.

In her lecture, Opie will provide insights into her artistic practice, the development of her work, and the societal questions that continue to drive her practice today. A Q&A session will follow, offering an opportunity for exchange and discussion.

About the Artist

From 2019 to 2024, Opie held the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Endowed Chair in the Art Department at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she also served as Professor of Photography in the Art Department from 2001 to 2024. From 2000 to 2001, she taught as a Professor of Fine Art at Yale University in New Haven. Opie has participated in numerous international group exhibitions, including the Whitney Biennial in New York (1995, 2004) and the Istanbul Biennial (2011). Her work has also been featured in major solo presentations, including at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Guggenheim Museum New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in Oslo, and the Museu de Arte de São Paulo.

From February 14 to July 19, 2026, the Fridericianum will present the first solo exhibition of the artist in Germany, featuring over 70 works, alongside a parallel presentation at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

On the occasion of her solo exhibition in Kassel, The Pause That Dreams Against Erasure, the Neue Nationalgalerie, the American Academy in Berlin, and the Fridericianum invite the public to a joint event with the artist. 

The event will be held in English.

Admission is free, and no registration is required.