UC San Diego

Sophie Calle's art is underrepresented in the field of Art History, despite her important body of work. Furthermore, much of the writing on Calle's practice has tended to overlook the conceptual nature of her projects in favor of a more subjective reading. This paper places Calle within the conceptual art historical narrative using visual analysis and semiotic theory based on the writings of Charles Sanders Peirce. I argue that Calle's works should not be read into on an emotional level but rather function in the construction of the artist as a character, a persona. In order to support this position, I look at two of Calle's early works from 1981 and two of her later 1990s works, presenting this conceptual production as a consistent thread throughout her practice