Actes Sud has published a new edition of What Do You Do with Your Dead? by Sophie Calle, which now includes additional responses to this famous question. These responses were collected from guestbooks at her exhibitions at the Centre de la Vieille Charité in Marseille in 2019 and at the Kunstmuseum Ravensburg in 2020.
One of Sophie Calle’s most beautiful exhibitions took place in 2017, when the French artist transformed the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature into a journey blending humor and sorrow, bringing together her favorite themes, including grief. As death has become a more present reality in her life, it has deeply influenced her artistic work. The exhibition, Beau doublé, Monsieur le marquis, concluded with a guestbook posing a question to visitors: “What do you do with your dead?”
The answers were gathered in a book first published in 2019 by Actes Sud, and this recent reissue continues to explore grief around the world. What Do You Do with Your Dead? combines photographs of gravestones taken in cemeteries across different countries with handwritten testimonies from visitors who wanted to share how they continue to honor their deceased loved ones: some consume the ashes, mixing them into yogurt as per the deceased’s wishes, while others give them update of the latest episodes of their favorite TV series.
These testimonies, like Sophie Calle’s work, blend humor with poignancy, moving us from laughter to tears. They range from quirky anecdotes to profound, heartrending reflections from those who have faced the loss of someone dear. They invite us to reflect on our own beliefs, rituals, and the place we give to our departed in our lives.
Each page of this book is an invitation into a space where art meets introspection, and where absence becomes almost palpable. What Do You Do with Your Dead? is yet another example of Sophie Calle’s talent for rendering an intimate experience universal.
Sophie Calle – What Do You Do With Your dead?
November, 2024
15.80 x 21.50 cm
272 pages
ISBN : 978-2-330-19668-4
35.00€
Available in all good bookstores and online
More informations:
- Sophie Calle
- Instagram – Sophie Calle
- Actes Sud
