Peter Hujar und Liz Deschenes: Persistence of Vision

Working in New York City between the Stonewall protests of 1969 and the outbreak of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Hujar captured a crucial cultural phase in haunting black-and-white photographs. In addition to striking images of animals, nature, and decaying buildings, he portrayed the queer and avant-garde communities in Lower Manhattan, including personalities such as Candy Darling, Susan Sontag, and David Wojnarowicz.

The exhibition interweaves Hujar's photographs with contemporary works by New York City-based artist Liz Deschenes. These constellations invite viewers to pause, sharpen their gaze, and discover new perspectives on Hujar's work. Deschenes creates sculptures and non-representational photographic works that use the fundamental properties of the medium—light, chemistry, and time—to explore what a photograph can be. As the first major exhibition of the works of Hujar and Deschenes in Berlin, Persistence of Vision formulates an expanded understanding of photography and highlights the uncompromising clarity of vision that unites the practice of both artists.