Chloe Gouldson: Discourse: Artist Research: Sophie Calle

Sophie Calle is a French artist who continues to interest me due to the unusual stories behind her work, giving them an exciting and diverse edge. In this blog I want to explore 3 of her most known series: Suite Venitienne, The Chromatic Diet and The Hotel.

Suite Venitienne was a series that started when Calle coincidentally saw a stranger twice in one day, on the second encounter Calle prompted a conversation with the man and learnt he was on his way to Venice. Calle took it upon herself to follow him to Italy without him knowing and document his journey. I think the spontaneity of this series really emphasises and reflects in her work.

A year later, Calle took a job as a chambermaid in a hotel, during her days cleaning the bedrooms she would photograph personal belongings, open suitcases, read diaries and looked through their bins and laundry. Although this may be quite controversial, and open up a lot of conflict due to the invasion of space, her work opens up a whole new spectrum and makes her work extremely compelling.

In 1998, Calle ate a diet of food that was just a single colour for 6 days, which was titled ‘The Chromatic Diet’. I think Calle’s work embodies imagination and thinking outside of the box: which as artists we should all be doing to push boundaries and unfold a whole new level of ideas.