A Nose for French Fashion

Way before reality shows blighted the airwaves, Sophie Calle made a name for herself following strangers and documenting their private lives. The French artist once invited dozens of people to occupy her bed for several days, and then photographed them while they slept. In 2003 she spent a night in...

By Carlos Suarez De Jesus

October 5, 2006

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "19274298",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17482312",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482310",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482313",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Way before reality shows blighted the airwaves, Sophie Calle made a name for herself following strangers and documenting their private lives. The French artist once invited dozens of people to occupy her bed for several days, and then photographed them while they slept. In 2003 she spent a night in bed at the top of the Eiffel Tower, where strangers read stories to keep her awake. For more than two decades the naughty voyeur has scampered across a tightrope between private and public, creating provocative photography accompanied with text panels of her own words.

“True Stories,” at Galerie Emannuel Perrotin, marks Calle’s first show in Miami and features 30 works spanning fifteen years of her career and chronicling true incidents from the artist’s life. In The Plastic Surgery, she recalls when her grandparents suggested she get her nose straightened as a teenager and how her plastic surgeon committed suicide while she pondered going under his knife.

The gallery is also presenting works by the Argentine master of the double-take, Leandro Erlich, whose installations create a world of trickery and illusion that unhinges one’s grasp of reality. Through November 25. Call 305-573-2130, or visit www.galerieperrotin.com.
Oct. 6-Nov. 25

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Miami New Times has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.