Midwest Museum Talk | Sophie Calle: Overshare
Sophie Calle, Henriette Huldisch, Cécile Godefroy, Christina Selander Bouzouina
Join us for a virtual discussion with renowed French artist Sophie Calle alongside Henriette Huldisch, Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Walker Art Center and Cécile Godefroy, Head of the Department of Research and Archives, Deputy Director of the Scientific and Collections Direction at the Musée national Picasso-Paris.
Based on the current exhibition Sophie Calle: Overshare at the Walker Art Center (on view until Jan 26, 2025), this transatlantic conversation coordinated by Villa Albertine Chicago will mirror the exhibition with last year’s À toi de faire, ma mignonne at the Musée national Picasso-Paris, exploring the unique process of presenting Sophie Calle’s deeply personal yet universally resonant work across two distinct museum contexts. Highlighting the perspectives of the artist and curators from both museums, the event will explore the genesis, themes, and challenges of these exhibitions.
Exploring themes central to Sophie Calle’s practice – such as introspection, the interplay between private and public spaces, and the artist’s fascination with retrospection – this discussion offers a unique opportunity to reflect on how her work challenges traditional notions of self-representation. The conversation will also delve into the curatorial choices that shaped the exhibitions and the ways Calle’s art resonates within contemporary culture.
This discussion in English will be moderated by Christina Selander Bouzouina, Executive Director at Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul.
The Speakers
Sophie Calle, French conceptual artist, focus of the exhibitions “Sophie Calle: Overshare” at the Walker Art Center and “À toi de faire ma mignonne” at the Musée national Picasso-Paris
Sophie Calle’s conceptual work is known for her deeply personal and provocative explorations of identity, intimacy, and the boundaries between private and public life. For over five decades, Calle has brought a unique perspective to contemporary art by seamlessly blending photography, text, and film. Her practice delves into the human condition, addressing themes such as love, loss, and voyeurism, while challenging societal norms and exploring the complexities of self-representation.
Her works have been showcased in major institutions worldwide, including the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santiago, and the Musée Picasso Paris. As her first North American retrospective, Sophie Calle: Overshare at the Walker Art Center offers a comprehensive look at her groundbreaking contributions to the field of contemporary art. Held in prestigious collections across the globe, her art has made of her one of contemporary art’s most influential figures. Sophie Calle has received numerous awards, including the 35th Praemium Imperiale in 2024, awarded by the Japan Art Association.
Henriette Huldisch, Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Walker Art Center
Henriette Huldisch joined the Walker Art Center as Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Walker Art Center in 2020. Her shows at the Walker include Sophie Calle: Overshare (2024) and This Must Be the Place: Inside the Walker’s Collection (2024).
Previously, she was Director of Exhibitions and Curator at the MIT List Visual Arts Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and from 2010 to 2014 she worked at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Berlin. She began her career at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, in 2001, where she co-curated the 2008 Whitney Biennial. Among her publications are Before Projection (2018), An Inventory of Shimmers (2017) and numerous contributions to exhibition catalogues and periodicals such as Artforum.
Cécile Godefroy is an Art Historian, PhD, member of the International Association of Art Critics, and Curator. Head of the Department of Research and Archives, Deputy Director of the Scientific and Collections Direction at the Musée national Picasso-Paris, she is in charge of the Centre d’Études Picasso that will open in Spring 2025. Specialist in the historical avant-garde and in transdisciplinary issues in art, she has taught modern and contemporary art in French and American universities in Paris.
Curator of exhibitions devoted to seminal women artists : « Sonia Delaunay », Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris ; Tate modern, London, in 2014-15 ; « Marcelle Cahn, In Search of Space », Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Strasbourg ; Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Saint-Etienne, Musée des beaux-arts de Rennes, 2022-23, and more recently « Your Turn, Darling, », the exhibition of Sophie Calle’s work “A toi de faire ma mignonne” at the Musée national Picasso in Paris, she also edited books and curated exhibitions dedicated to original subjects on Picasso’s work for the Musée national Picasso-Paris ; BOZAR, Brussels (“Picasso. Sculptures”, 2016-2017 and “Picasso iconophage” (“Picasso consuming images”), 2024) ; Philharmonie, Paris (“Picasso and Music”, 2020) ; Centro Botín, Santander (“Picasso ibero”, 2021); Musée de l’Homme, Paris (“Picasso and Prehistory”, 2023).
Christina Selander Bouzouina, Executive Director at Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul
Christina Selander Bouzouina was born in Minneapolis and moved to Europe during college. After living in London and Montpellier, she spent nearly 9 years in Marseille, working as an English teacher and program coordinator in lycées and universities as well as several private institutions.
Upon her return to Minnesota in 2007, she joined the Alliance Française de Minneapolis/St. Paul where she became the Executive Director in 2008.
Christina was appointed Honorary Consul of France in Minnesota in 2014. She was named Chevalier dans l’Ordre de Palmes Académiques in 2015 and Chevalier in the Ordre national de Mérite in 2024.
Christina serves as President of the Minnesota Consular and as Secretary on the Board of Managers of AFMSP Real Estate Holdings, LLC.