Sophie Calle: Is It Better? marks the French artist's first solo presentation in Berlin for more than twenty years, hosted at the Hamburger Bahnhof in Germany. The exhibition brings together six significant bodies of work produced over the last three decades, ranging from photography and video to large-scale installations that mix found objects with narrative text.

A central feature is the 1996 series The Detachment, which records the physical removal of East German monuments following the fall of the Berlin Wall. By pairing images of vacant plinths with descriptions from local passers-by, Calle examines how historical transition affects collective memory. The show also presents Les fantômes d’Orsay, an immersive project documenting the artist's residency in an abandoned hotel within the former Gare d'Orsay railway station before its conversion into a museum.

The selection highlights Calle's signature method of blending the private and the political. Her work often functions like a detective's archive, using documentation to explore themes of loss, intimacy, and the passage of time. For the museum’s 30th anniversary, a new site-specific work joins these established series, reinforcing the conceptual link between the artist's practice and the history of this former transit hub.

A rewarding visit for those who appreciate conceptual storytelling and the way artists bridge the gap between intimate journals and public history.

Begin with the Berlin-focused photography series to understand Calle's connection to the city before moving into the larger, more immersive installations that require time to read the accompanying texts.