Sophie Calle: On The Hunt

“A catalogue of the qualities most desired in women by men, and in men by women, drawn from a selection of personal ads published in Le Chasseur français magazine between 1895 
and 2010. Starting in 1990, ads from the French weekly Le Nouvel Observateur and later from Meetic and Tinder further enrich the list.” As announced by Sophie Calle herself, On the Hunt presents twelve decades of matrimonial ads written by men (in red) and by women (in blue). Selected by the artist, they bear witness to the “hunt for a romantic partner,” but also to the evolution of linguistic trends and the preferences that have prevailed in the search for the ideal romantic partner over the course of the decades. She pairs these messages with two photographic series: animals captured at night by an infrared surveillance camera, and watchtowers serving as observation posts or lookout points. Sophie Calle thus poses the question: who is the hunter and who is the prey?