Sophie Calle, one of France’s most renowned conceptual artists, has shared insights into her artistic journey and personal reflections in a recent interview. Known for her work that balances intimacy with detachment, and morbid themes with a sense of playfulness, Calle has long explored both the lives of others and her own through her art. At 72, she is preparing to open her first major exhibition in the UK in nearly 20 years, titled Something Missing ?, at Turner Contemporary in Margate. The exhibition spans nearly four decades, showcasing photographs, videos, and installations from 1986 to 2024, and centers on themes of absence, including reflections on her late parents, a former lover, and ideas she once had but abandoned. Calle began her artistic career as a way to connect with her father, a doctor and collector of pop and conceptual art. At 26, feeling lost after returning to Paris, she thought making art might please him. Though she couldn’t paint, she found solace in writing and photography. She started following strangers, finding the process both restful and engaging, as it allowed her to avoid the pressure of deciding what to do with her time. One of her earliest and most famous works, from 1980, involved following a man she met at a party from Paris to Venice. She documented his movements in time-stamped entries and photographed him in his raincoat, unaware he was being trailed by a woman in a blond wig. Calle has often spoken about her fascination with absence and death. She has even commissioned her own headstone and once wrote an obituary for herself, later editing it. In 2023, she compiled a new series of unfinished works, which will be featured in the Margate exhibition. She explains that some ideas are abandoned due to their lack of quality or feasibility, while others demand too much time and money. One of her most powerful series, The Blind (1986), involved asking people born without sight to describe their idea of beauty. Though she worried the project might be cruel, she proceeded after receiving a clear and simple response from her first subject. The series pairs black-and-white portraits with their descriptions, which range from the color green to the actor Alain Delon and even sheep. In 2011, she created Voir la Mer (To See the Sea), a film capturing people in Istanbul experiencing the sea for the first time. The piece shows subjects from behind, then turns the camera to reveal their faces, glowing with emotion. Though she no longer follows strangers for days, Calle remains preoccupied with the themes of seeing and being seen. She acknowledges that she has concerns now that she didn’t have in her younger years, and while she has many admirers, she is also aware of critics who view her work as intrusive. However, she no longer fears running out of ideas and is content with what she has to do. She lives alone, though she has been in a long-term relationship for 25 years. She has chosen not to make art about her partner, signing an agreement that if she ever did, he would have to leave. She admits she may be defensive, but she believes she made the right decision.