Peter Hujar / Liz Deschenes: Persistence of Vision

Bringing together the works of Peter Hujar and Liz Deschenes, Persistence of Vision opens an intergenerational dialogue on photography. Working in New York City between the Stonewall uprising of 1969 and the onset of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Peter Hujar captured a pivotal cultural moment in piercing black-and-white photographs. Alongside incisive images of animals, nature and urban ruins, he portrayed New York’s downtown avant-garde and queer communities, including figures such as Candy Darling, Susan Sontag and David Wojnarowicz. 

In the exhibition, Hujar’s photographs are interspersed with contemporary works by New York City-based artist Liz Deschenes. These interludes invite viewers to pause, slow down and consider Hujar’s work in a new light. Deschenes creates sculptures and non-representational photographic works that employ the fundamental properties of the medium – light, chemistry and time – to explore what a photograph can be. As the first major exhibition of both Hujar’s and Deschenes’ work in Berlin, Persistence of Vision proposes an expansive understanding of photography and highlights the uncompromising clarity of vision that defines both artists’ practices. 

Curated by Eva Respini, Co-CEO and Curator at Large, Vancouver Art Gallery, with Monique Machicao y Priemer Ferrufino, Curatorial Fellow Exhibitions, Gropius Bau 

In partnership with Gropius Bau, the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn presents Peter Hujar. Eyes Open in the Dark from 27 February to 23 August 2026.

A selection of press images is available for media coverage of Peter Hujar / Liz Deschenes: Persistence of Vision. Please contact presse@gropiusbau.de to request the login data to download high res press images.

The images can be downloaded and used free of charge prior to and during the exhibition period. Please note that images may not be cropped, overprinted or modified. We look forward to receiving any digital or hardcopy samples of publications.

Please forward or send them to the following address:

Gropius Bau
Birgit Schapow / Press Office
Niederkirchnerstraße 7
10963 Berlin
presse@gropiusbau.de