French conceptual artist Sophie Calle, known for her provocative and intimate work exploring themes of absence and observation, is set to open her first major UK exhibition in nearly two decades. The show, titled *Something Missing?*, will be held at Turner Contemporary in Margate from October 3 through January 24, featuring a range of photographs, videos, and installations spanning nearly four decades of her career.

Calle, now 72, has built her reputation through art that blurs the line between the personal and the experimental. Since the early 1980s, she has employed methods ranging from following strangers to inhabiting the lives of others—sometimes controversially—to investigate human absence, loss, and memory. Early projects included stalking a man she met at a party across Europe and pretending to be a hotel maid to document guests’ belongings. In one of her most renowned series, *The Blind* (1986), she invited individuals born without sight to describe their vision of beauty, pairing their responses with portraits. Decades later, she filmed residents of Istanbul experiencing the sea for the first time in *Voir la Mer*, a project that captures moments of revelation and emotional intensity.

Absence is a central motif in Calle’s work and personal life. She has confronted the loss of her parents through documented projects, including filming her mother’s final moments in 2006, a process she described as a way to create emotional distance from grief. After her father’s death in 2015, she briefly stopped producing art, only to return after traveling and reflection. In 2023, she compiled a series of unfinished projects to give them life during her lifetime, acknowledging that some ideas are abandoned due to practical constraints or ethical considerations. “Sometimes I do cruel things and it is worth it,” she remarked, pointing to a willingness to push boundaries in her artistry.

Calle’s fascination extends to mortality itself. She has pre-commissioned her headstone and even edited her own obituary, emphasizing an ongoing preoccupation with the end of life. Despite this, she expresses no regrets about her career path or choices. While she once feared running out of ideas, she now embraces the possibility, focusing instead on living and enjoying life with fewer creative pressures. She acknowledges that her work divides opinions—some deem it inventive, others invasive—but remains unapologetic about her approach.

The artist resides alone in her longtime Paris apartment, which reflects her life and work, and maintains a long-term relationship but deliberately excludes it from her art. She has spoken candidly about her perspectives on relationships and parenthood, noting that she chose not to have children and values the freedom that brings, though she admits this stance may be “not reasonable” to some.

Calle’s upcoming exhibition promises to delve deeply into these themes of loss, absence, and presence, providing audiences with a broad retrospective of an artist who continues to challenge conventional boundaries between life and art.