Tracey Emin

Tracey Emin, born in London in 1963, has established herself as an iconic British contemporary artist. Her often intimate work explores the intricacies of everyday life and its deepest emotions. Tracey Emin has gained worldwide renown for her forthright approach and her ability to capture the essence of human experience through a variety of artistic media.

TRACEY EMIN, THE CREATOR OF MY BED

Tracey Emin has made her mark with works such as "My Bed" (1998), an installation that exposes her unmade bed with personal objects, offering a bold vision of her intimate life.

This introspective yet provocative installation presents the artist's bed as it was after a period of deep emotional distress. The work unreservedly exposes traces of Tracey Emin's tumultuous daily life, with crumpled sheets, used underwear, empty cigarette packets and other personal objects scattered around the bed. My Bed embodies the concept of confessional art, inviting the viewer to explore the most intimate aspects of the artist's existence. At the time of its reveal, the raw intimacy of "My Bed" shook the contemporary art world.

TRACEY EMIN AND SELF-REPRESENTATION

Through her art, Tracey Emin offers a visceral experience, challenging contemporary artistic conventions while inviting the public to reflect deeply on the fragility of human existence. By revealing facets of her childhood and adolescence, while probing issues related to relationships and the body, the British artist explores in depth the representation of Self and the reality of female life.

THE IMPORTANCE OF WORDS: NEON ART AND TAPESTRIES

Tracey Emin's contemporary art is not confined to any one medium. With works spanning sculpture, drawing, tapestry, prints, needlework, painting and installation, she is her art. And her art is more often than not, intertwined with words. Emin says that to some artists, words are of no importance. They leave it all up to the expression of their paintbrush or their hands and never use their words, even in the title of their works. For Tracey Emin, however, her words are part of her art.

Known for revealing delicate and raw life experiences through her art, Emin employs words as a way of connecting and normalizing experiences. In her neon art, for example, she fleshes out short quips that are brightly lit and eye-catching. However, they do not read in the way that usual neon lights might. Tracey Emin's neon plays on themes of solitude, unrequited love, lingering kisses and broken promises.

Although some might argue that tapestry or needlework was never a lost art, it was massively overlooked for centuries. Often referred to as a woman's trade, Tracey Emin seizes this stereotype and creates quilts and tapestries displaying harsh, confrontational words or phrases that evoke her experiences as a young adult. Due to their raunchy nature, they created a lot of discussion and buzz upon first being displayed.

WHY ALL THE BIRDS? TRACEY EMIN EXPLAINS

If you are viewing Tracey Emin's work in a gallery for the first time or if you have known of her for decades, you still might be asking the same question: what do all these birds mean?

In a 2015 interview, Emin explained that she sees birds as a symbol of hope. Throughout her career, Emin has referenced the abuse she underwent as a child. And as an adult, she has used her art to process the pain and aftermath of these experiences. Birds rise above, she says. And in that same way, she rises above a negative situation that would otherwise turn into a downward spiral. For Tracey Emin, birds are freedom and hope.

TRACEY EMIN: FOUNDING MEMER OF THE YBAS

The YBAs or the Young British Artists is an association of British artists who found themselves pushing the limits of contemporary art throughout the mid 1980's and 90's. First exhibiting together in London in 1988, they were known for the "shock factor" of their art. Relying heavily on an emotional or sentimental aspect of their work, this collective propelled at lightning artists such as Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas onto the contemporary art scene.

TRACEY EMIN & EDVARD MUNCH, CONTEMPORARY MEETS 20TH CENTURY MODERN

Long-time admirer of Edvard Munch, many of Emin’s previous installation have made reference to his work. But for the first time, we had the immense opportunity to see them together, in an oddly compatible juxtaposition.

Both artists use(d) their work to explore the depths and intricacy of the human psyche. Well-versed in the portrayal of agony, jealousy and dejection, the two artists side-by-side will be open new doors for analysis and further artistic inspiration. In partnership with the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway, Tracey Emin counts herself “lucky” to have this opportunity. “Not in a million years did I ever think that I’d show with my hero Munch,” said Emin in an interview with The Art Newspaper. To see a Tracey Emin and Edvard Munch work hung on the same wall is to witness a certain psychological drama of a complex universe that only these two influential artists could create.

On Edvard Munch, Tracey Emin says that she had long admired him for his self-awareness and honesty, especially for a 20th century male artist. In an artwork entitled "Jealousy" that he created about himself, Tracey Emin saw a lot of herself in the creation. Like Munch in this case, Tracey Emin is her art.

COLLECT TRACEY EMIN PRINTS

A complete artist in her own right, her talent extends beyond painting and sculpture, also encompassing prints, neon lights and poignant writings. If you want to add an exceptional limited edition Tracey Emin print to your collection, browse Rise Art's selection of prints by Emin that explore themes of solitude, loneliness and hope.