ART CITIES:Paris-Sophie Calle – dreamideamachine ART VIEW

SOPHIE CALLE, Le lit, 2018, Color photograph, embroidered woolen cloth, framing 36 × 46 cm, © Sophie Calle / ADAGP-Paris 2018, Photo: Claire Dorn / Courtesy Perrotin Parce que je me suis toujours demandé qui en avait la garde après un divorce ? Celui qui souffre ? Parce que je quitte une maison que j’occupe depuis cinquante ans et qu’il en était le personnage principal Parce qu’il est en béton Parce que je ne laisse que lui derrière moi — Sophie Calle, Le lit, 2018, Color photograph, embroidered woolen cloth, framing 36 × 46 cm, © Sophie Calle / ADAGP-Paris 2018, Photo: Claire Dorn / Courtesy Perrotin. Text: Parce que je me suis toujours demandé qui en avait la garde après un divorce ? Celui qui souffre ? / Parce que je quitte une maison que j’occupe depuis cinquante ans et qu’il en était le personnage principal / Parce qu’il est en béton/ Parce que je ne laisse que lui derrière moi

Sophie Calle’s work is distinguished by its use of arbitrary sets of constraints, and evokes the French literary movement of the 1960s known as Oulipo. Her work frequently depicts human vulnerability, and examines identity and intimacy. She is recognized for her detective-like ability to follow strangers and investigate their private lives. Her photographic work often includes panels of text of her own writing.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Galerie Perrotin Archive

Sophie Calle in her new solo exhibition at Perrotin Gallery in Paris presents two new projects: “Parce que” and “Souris Calle” in cooperation with 40 musicians. The exhibition opens with a series of new photographs from the series “Parce que” (Because) concealed by curtains embroidered with text for viewers to read before lifting the curtain to discover the image behind it. The text that begins with the word ‘Parce que’ explains the reason why this image exists, why the artist chose this specific place or time. In such a way the phrase, “Parce que la tentation de la suivre” (Because the temptation to follow it) applies to “La ligne blanche” (2018), a photograph of a road divider line sinking under water, or “Parce que quoi d’autre après plus rien?” (Because what else after nothing more?) precedes “Plurien, sortie” (2018), a shot of a town exit sign opposite the Plurien cemetery. The justification for the photograph can thus be understood before the image, in a unique tautological rapport that questions the text-image relationship. For her project “Souris Calle”, the artist called upon a team of 40 musicians and singers, who each composed a piece of music in homage to Souris, the artist’s cat that died in 2014. The resulting compilation is in the form of a 3 LP set, the object itself mounted as part of the exhibition and its sound played in several rooms and listening alcoves. With this project, Sophie Calle further expands the notion of author to share the mourning and celebration of a loved one. This monomania can take several forms, as in “Exquisite Pain” (1984–2003) or “Take Care of Yourself” (2004–2007). It leads here to a collaborative procedure with musicians, like an act of resilience to fill the void of the loss of Souris. The video “Souris Calle” (2018) is projected in an adjoining room: Sophie Calle recounts the 17 years she shared with her cat, its personality, their habits, and the empty space left by its death. The exhibition finishes with a selection of works from the series “Autobiographies” tied to Souris’ death. The series combines the artist’s sly, sardonic sense of visual humor with stories that are too peculiar to have been invented. As with much of her work, Calle’s unique form of autobiography can be seen as a form of performance. Forgoing a sense of nostalgia, the artist puts seemingly private events into the public eye, recounting emotional parent-child interactions that are seldom described.

Info: Perrotin Gallery, 76 rue de Turenne, Paris, Duration: 13/10-22/12/18, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 11:00-19:00, www.perrotin.com