Sophie Calle at The Whitechapel Gallery

Sophie Calle at The Whitechapel Gallery

16 October, 2009
by: Tom Jeffreys

Derrida, Foucault, Barthes, Deleuze, Baudrillard: we all love a wee bit of late twentieth century French philosophy from time to time. When I say 'we' I of course mean 'I'. I'm not really so bothered about what you think. But that's because I'm utterly self-absorbed.

As apparently is X, the anonymous ex-lover of artist Sophie Calle, that is if you are to believe the 'analysis' of 'Savoir-Vivre' Consultant Comtesse de Toggenburg. The Comtesse is, however, an idiot. More of that later.

French writer and conceptual artist Sophie Calle has a major exhibition right now at the Whitechapel Art Gallery and it's a fascinating show. Gallery 1 is taken over with the premiere of the English language version of Calle's 2007 work for the French Pavilion at the Venice Biennale: Prenez Soin De Vous (Take Care of Yourself).

The concept of this work is as follows: the artist received a break-up letter from X and asks over 100 women to respond to the letter in a manner that makes use of their particular professional or personal skills. So Calle's mother consoles her daughter, a historian tries to date the text, a criminologist looks for signs of criminality, and a headhunter opines whether she would hire this anonymous X.


Sophie Calle, Prenez Soin De Vous (Take Care of Yourself) 2007

Incorporating video, photography, installation and a lot of in-depth text, this is an involved work that requires and rewards prolonged engagement. The notion of a contract, the nature of love, the perpetual ambiguities of language, and the problems surrounding identity are all approached from a proliferation of perspectives. There's great sadness here, but also humour and the peculiar joy that analytic thinkers take in the very processes of their analysis.

It's interesting to note that all these perspectives are female. The Comtesse is the most embarrassing presence, rounding on this anonymous man with a torrent of half-informed venom. What exactly is a Savoir-Vivre Consultant anyway? Controversial French novelist Christine Angot anticipates this kind of reaction and turns the whole project on its head by flipping the focus from man X to Calle herself. It's a clever move and adds yet another layer to this fascinating project.

Upstairs Galleries 8 and 9 are taken up with various smaller-scale projects, all of which are captivating in their own way. There's one where Calle follows the instructions of author Paul Auster by giving out sandwiches and cigarettes on the streets of New York City. It's an intriguing look at human nature, but occasionally drifts towards Amélie-style whimsy-overdose.

Back downstairs and on my way out, I notice the contribution made by Rifle Shooter Sandy Mons. There's a look of calm triumph upon her face in her photographic portrait, and below is the reason why. In a print-out of the letter, three bullet holes pierce the page. Each one is lit up. Each one shoots out the same word: 'love'. Sometimes philosophy and analysis can only take you so far. It is the gunshot of immediacy that pricks the moment.

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Tom Jeffreys