Sophie Calle exhibits in La Virreina
The French artist, one of the most relevant names in the field of conceptual art in recent years, presents an exhibition entitled “Modus vivendi”, up until the 7th of June
La Virreina centre de la Imatge continues its season of big-name exhibitions with a retrospective on French artist Sophie Calle. Personal intimacy, the intimacy of others, absence and inter-personal relationships are some of the leitmotifs of the exhibition, which covers the artist’s career from the 1980s to the present day.
A conceptual, first-person artist, Calle employs a number of diverse disciplines that include photography, video, film and performance art. The title of the exhibition, Modus vivendi, is an effort to reveal the artist’s level of commitment to her work - Calle has always brought art to the most personal degree possible, employing it as a means of observing reality.
Curated by Agustín Pérez Rubio, the exhibition is divided into two sections, the first of which deals with the artist’s relationship with others and includes pieces such as the series Les Aveugles (The Blind), in which she has gathered together opinions on what constitutes beauty from a number of people who have been blind since birth. Each piece consists of a portrait of the person in question, a written testimony and a photograph of what this person considers to be an example of beauty. The section also includes the work entitled Last Seen, in which Calle has asked curators, guards and employees of a Boston museum to describe a series of artworks that had been stolen.
The second section is structured around the relationship between real-life personal stories and fiction and includes works such as Take Care of Yourself, one of her most acclaimed series in which the artist asked 107 women to interpret an email that was sent to her as a means of terminating a relationship. Unable to interpret the content of the mail, as though it had nothing to do with her, the artist decided to request the help of women from a wide range of fields. The title of the series refers to the final statement in the mail, Take care of yourself.
The exhibition ends in the former dining area of the Palau de la Virreina, which has been converted into a room occupied by Sophie Calle and which features a series of objects designed to help define both the artist herself and her work.
The exhibition opens on the 2nd of March at 7.30 pm and offers visitors an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the work of one of the most relevant artists in recent years.
Sophie Calle. Modus vivendi.
When: until the 7th of June
Where: La Virreina Centre de la Imatge
Price: Free entrance
More information here