For one night

17th August 2009 by Violette

When I was in Brussels this weekend I had the chance to visit the Sophie Calle exhibition at the Bozar Museum. It was in Paris National Library about a year ago and I missed it, so I thought this was a good time to catch up.

The exhibition is fantastic especially to a French speaking audience as almost all the texts are in French and emphasise largely the power of the text (there’s a translation provided in the exhibition’s booklet). More than anything else there however I really enjoyed the part of the exhibition called Douleur Exquise (Exquisite Pain).

Sophie Calle was supposed to meet her boyfriend in New Delhi. He didn’t show up and made up a car accident to excuse himself. She later received a phone call in her hotel room informing her that he was breaking up with her. She created an art piece after this event, juxtaposing pictures she took of the hotel room, a summary of the conversation she had with this man and a recount of painful memories she had collected from strangers. Over the days, the story changes, the texts are more detailed or shorter, playing down the pain of the breakup and illustrating how the perception of a single event can be altered through time and memory.

It is a truly striking piece of art and if you are not familiar with it make sure you have a look at Sophie’s work.

tagged Bozar brussels Douleur Exquise New Delhi Sophie Calle