The US-American author and critic Susan Sontag (1933–2004) was a “public intellectual”: a figure who sparked controversial debates through her writings and her nonconformist demeanor, and who engaged with them head-on.

The Schwules Museum is taking over the successful exhibition “Susan Sontag: Seeing and Being Seen” from the Bundeskunsthalle Bonn (2025) and expanding it: what does Susan Sontag mean to us today? What is her significance in queer cultural history? How do we remember her many appearances in Berlin, a city she visited frequently and for extended periods?

A new section will explore Susan Sontag’s traces in Berlin—featuring recollections from contemporaries such as Ulrike Ottinger, Gesine Strempel, Erika and Ulrich Gregor, and Carolin Emcke. Another section is dedicated to the influence of Sontag’s thinking on queer culture. Central to “Susan Sontag – Seeing and Being Seen” are reflections on visibility, self-presentation, and representation. They demonstrate the acute sensitivity to all forms of discrimination and exclusion that Susan Sontag possessed as a queer Jewish woman.

The opening will be conducted in German spoken language and is free of charge. A champagne reception will be held for as long as supplies last.

Curated by Dr. Kristina Jaspers and Dr. Birgit Bosold

Featuring works by: Susan Sontag, Jack Smith, Annie Leibovitz, Peter Hujar, August Sander, Ingmar Bergman, The Supremes, and others

New Videointerviews with Ulrike Ottinger, Erika and Ulrich Gregor, Gesine Strempel, Carolin Emcke, Klaus Biesenbach, Joachim Sartorius and Joan Nestle

The exhibition is a reprise and expansion of the exhibition of the same name at the Bundeskunsthalle Bonn (March 14–September 28, 2025).

Supported by Hauptstadtkulturfonds, Berliner Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt

Photography: Renate von Mangoldt (Susan Sontag während der Veranstaltung „Drei Amerikaner in Berlin“, Akademie der Künste, Berlin, September 1976), (c) von Mangoldt