The Prince of Homburg: A Solo Exhibition by P. Staff

On view for the first time in the United States, The Prince of Homburg explores freedom, repression, desire, and the queer body through prints, sculpture, and a dream-like video installation. Loosely inspired by Heinrich von Kleist's 1810 play of the same name, the work explores exhaustion as a response to structural oppression. The centerpiece of the installation is a 23-minute video, which alternates between nighttime scenes of a sleepwalking protagonist in a dystopic landscape, and daytime clips of scholars, activists, and artists reflecting on contemporary queer and trans identity. The video is projected within an intimate, cabaret-style gallery, with visitors seated at café tables. The immersive installation also includes photograms and a security fence sculpture with impaled objects, both featuring items related to the video. Originally commissioned by Dundee Contemporary Arts in Scotland and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, YBCA is proud to present The Prince of Homburg at a moment when questions of identity, autonomy, and social control feel especially urgent.