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Cover of True Stories, Actes Sud, 2021.
Cover of True Stories, Actes Sud, 2021.
Sophie Calle
Maternité, 2018
Digital photograph, text, wooden frames
136 x 50 cms
53 8/16 x 19 10/16 ins
12573
This work consists of two framed parts. The upper part contains text and the lower part an image of Sophie Calle. The text contains the following narrative: I never wanted...
This work consists of two framed parts. The upper part contains text and the lower part an image of Sophie Calle.
The text contains the following narrative:
I never wanted to have children. But, as I was insisting upon this, someone pointed out that I behaved toward Souris as though I were his mother. It was true; I was enchanted by his grace. He was the funniest, the smartest; his portrait was my screen saver. Whenever, as they always do, parents showed pictures of their children I, never to be outdone, pulled out one of him. And so I decided to take the next step and give birth to my cat. I asked my vet for advice in order to simulate a pregnancy for the usual gestation period (58 to 63 days) and purchased a small black and white stuffed toy. I never went through with it. Was it because summer was the wrong time to be wearing a fake belly? Or, because I feared being made fun of by my friends in the village? In the winter, I was traveling, hanging shows... As I kept postponing motherhood, Souris grew old. It no longer made any sense.
The text contains the following narrative:
I never wanted to have children. But, as I was insisting upon this, someone pointed out that I behaved toward Souris as though I were his mother. It was true; I was enchanted by his grace. He was the funniest, the smartest; his portrait was my screen saver. Whenever, as they always do, parents showed pictures of their children I, never to be outdone, pulled out one of him. And so I decided to take the next step and give birth to my cat. I asked my vet for advice in order to simulate a pregnancy for the usual gestation period (58 to 63 days) and purchased a small black and white stuffed toy. I never went through with it. Was it because summer was the wrong time to be wearing a fake belly? Or, because I feared being made fun of by my friends in the village? In the winter, I was traveling, hanging shows... As I kept postponing motherhood, Souris grew old. It no longer made any sense.