Photofile: Sophie Calle

Variously described as a conceptual artist, a photographer, a film director, and even a private detective, Sophie Calle has developed a practice that is instantly recognizable for its distinct narrative elements and frequent combination of images with text. Dubbed ‘the Marcel Duchamp of dirty laundry’ by the Guardian, Calle blurs the boundaries between the intimate and the public, reality and fiction, art and life: she has invited strangers to sleep in her bed; followed a man through the streets of Paris and Venice; asked blind people to tell her about the final image they remember; and much more besides. By offering her own emotional and psychological life as the subject of her art, Calle invites viewers to meditate on grief, loss and remembrance.