Press Release 2019/02/18

Sophie Calle, “Exquisite Pain” from the Hara Museum Collection
January 5 (Saturday) – March 28 (Thursday), 2019

[1]

[2]

When Sophie Calle held the exhibition Exquisite Pain at the Hara Museum (1999-2000), the response was huge. It
was the first solo show at a Japanese museum for the internationally acclaimed French artist. The work wasacquired by the Hara Museum immediately after the show ended and is now being presented in its entirety,
occupying the entire museum again after a hiatus of 19 years.
"Exquisite pain" refers to the pain of a broken relationship that Calle experienced. In this work, the story of her
pain and recovery is told through photographs and texts. Letters to her most beloved person and photographs of thedays up until the fateful day of the breakup comprise "Count down" (part one). The gradual recovery that she
achieved by sharing her story with others and listening in turn to theirs comprise "Count up" (part two). The
unfolding of this story and her encounters with other clearly touched the hearts of many viewers. Through it all,however, runs a fuzzy distinction between fact and fiction which underscores the danger of unquestioning belief. Itis a work that will surely provoke many questions in the viewer's mind.
Who Is Sophie Calle?
Born in Paris in 1953, Sophie Calle is a French contemporary artist who has won
fame for work that is often controversial and evocative. For the project The Sleepers(1979), Calle photographed and interviewed 28 strangers whom she had invited tocome to her home and sleep in her bed. For The Hotel (1981), Calle worked as achambermaid at a hotel in Venice where she photographed the rooms of the hotelguests. For The Address Book (1983), Calle interviewed the people listed in anaddress book that she found in the street and then published the interviews in theFrench daily newspaper Libération. In the 1990s, she embarked on a series of works
on sightless persons beginning with The Blind. It was a profound exploration into thenature of sight and perception which lies at the very foundation of art. Calle′s work
inspired the author Paul Auster to model a fictional character named Maria Turner
after her in his novel Leviathan. Calle in turn assumed the personae of Maria TurnerPhoto：Jean-Baptiste Mondino
in an installation she created called Double Game (1998). These works, which push
the boundaries of contemporary art, remain a focus of much attention today. Calle has held solo exhibitions at major
museums throughout the world, including the Tate Gallery (1998) and the Pompidou Center (2003-2004). In 2017,

Calle held a solo exhibition in France that was much-talked about for its unusual venue, the Museum of Huntingand Nature. In Japan, she has held several solo exhibitions, including two at the Hara Museum: Exquisite Pain(1999-2000) and For the Last and First Time (2013), the latter of which traveled to the Toyota Municipal Museumof Art (2015) and the Nagasaki Prefectural Museum of Art (2016).
Related EventArtist Talk: Sophie Calle at the Hall at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
February 1 (Friday), 2019
*Details to be announced on the website.
Other Exhibitions in Tokyo *the artist is scheduled to make an appearance
Sophie Calle, “Parce Que” at Gallery Koyanagi
February 2 (Saturday) – March 5 (Tuesday), 2019
Sophie Calle, “Ma mère, mon chat, mon père, dans cet ordre”. at Perrotin Tokyo
February 2 (Saturday) – March 11 (Monday), 2019
Interesting Facts about Exquisite Pain
World Debut at the Hara Museum
Exquisite Pain made its world debut at the Hara Museum. It was the desire of the artist to premier the work in thecountry from which the work got its impetus. A Japanese version was thus produced for the 1999 show at the HaraMuseum. This was followed by French and English versions that later appeared at venues around the world.
French Version
The French version Douleur Exquise made its debut at Calle’s large-scale solo exhibition at the Pompidou Center(2003 – 2004). It was acquired by the Pompidou Center afterwards.
Text Embroidery Done in Niigata[3]"Count up" (part two) of the exhibition is distinguished by the use ofembroidery for all the text. Initial plans called for the embroidery to be done inFrance, based on a report by the artist that a certain craftsman there was able todo the embroidery exactly as stipulated by the artist. The volume, however,proved to be too daunting. A lucky encounter with a person from anembroidering factory in Niigata led to all the embroidery being done there bymachine. For the substrate, linen fabric favored by the artist was shipped infrom Belgium. Everyone was thrilled with the results, including the artist wholater had the French version embroidered at the same factory.

Actual Objects to be Displayed in "Count down" (part one)
Many of the objects that appear in the photographs in "Count down" (part one), objects that have been stored awayfor 15 years such handwritten notes about her activities, maps, Polaroid’s and paper currency (Chinese), are on
display, including a key to a room at a certain hotel that should not have been kept.
Participation of Philosophers and Artists
Among those who shared their stories with Calle in "Count up" (part two) are philosophers and artists, one of whom
was Jean-Michel Othoniel, a French contemporary artist who held a solo exhibition at the Hara Museum in 2012.

Exhibition Details
Title: Sophie Calle, “Exquisite Pain” from the Hara Museum Collection
Dates: January 5 (Saturday) – March 28 (Thursday), 2019
Place: Hara Museum of Contemporary Art 4-7-25 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0001
Tel: 03-3445-0651 E-mail: info@haramuseum.or.jp Website: https://www.haramuseum.or.jp
Venue / Organized by: Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
Hours: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm, Wednesdays until 8:00 pm (except March 20) (last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays (except January 14, February 11), January 15 and February 12
Admission: General 1,100 yen; Students 700 yen (high school and university) or 500 yen (elementary and juniorhigh); Free for Hara Museum members, students through high school every Saturday during the school term; 100
yen discount per person for groups of 20 or more.
Directions: 5 minutes by taxi or 15 minutes on foot from JR Shinagawa Station (Takanawa exit); or from the same
station take the Tan No.96 bus, get off at the first stop (Gotenyama), and walk 3 minutes.
Guided tours: Free Japanese-language tours are given by a museum curator every Sunday and national holiday,
starting at 2:30 pm and lasting about 30 minutes. No reservation is required. Free mini-tours in English are alsoavailable upon request.

The Museum Shop Information
The French publication Douleur Exquise is available in the Museum Shop. This volume
includes an English insert available only at the Hara Museum. Text in French. Hardcover, 281 pages 4,800 yen (tax included)

Images for Publication*Please do not trim or alter the images. Putting text over the images is prohibited.
Photo credit for the images [1] and [2]:Installation view of Sophie Calle, “Exquisite Pain” from the Hara Museum Collection©Sophie Calle / ADAGP Paris and JASPAR Tokyo, 2018
Photo by Keizo Kioku
Photo credit for the image [3]:Installation view of Sophie Calle – Exquisite Pain at the Hara Museum from 1999 to 2000
©Sophie Calle / ADAGP Paris and JASPAR Tokyo, 2018

Press Enquiries
Contact: Junko Watanabe / Yasuko KajitaT. +81.3.3280.0679
E. press@haramuseum.or.jp