Signal, 1995

Christian Boltanski is a French artist known for his sculptures, photographs, installation art, and paintings. Boltanski is also a filmmaker and is part of the postmodern art movement. Boltanski has largely focused on expressing his feelings about significant periods in history and marginalized groups of people, as well as provoking viewers of his work to contemplate on those subjects. One such work, a piece of installation art entitled "Reserve", was a collection of corridors that contained the clothing of Jewish victims of Nazi concentration camps. The theme of human suffering can be seen in many of Christian Boltanski's art works, such as his "Monument" photograph collection and "No Man's Land", one of his largest installation art pieces. One of his more unconventional pieces is "The Whispers" - a sound installation art work that played a recording of voices when visitors sat near it -- which he debuted at the Folkestone Triennal in 2008. Christian Boltanski is the recipient of many prestigious international art awards, including the 2007 Praemium Imperiale Award and 2001 Goslarer Kaiserring.