Tracey Emin, CBE, RA (born 3 July 1963) is an English contemporary artist, known for her autobiographical and confessional artwork. Emin produces work in a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, photography, neon text and sewn appliqué.
Emin’s large range of styles and mediums used is very similar to my own. She is so obsessed with creating art that expresses her feelings that she has no boundaries and will work with any material that helps her portray them.
I feel that Emin’s work shows great depth; she makes art to deal with old traumas, such as her childhood, her rape, her abortions and non-motherhood. Whatever she feels she creates, in my opinion, with great success, in a raw and sometimes uncomfortable manor.
My own work is reminiscent of Emin’s, not only in the style (mostly her text pieces, such as ‘Drunk to the Bottom of my Soul’ (Fig 24)) but also in the depth. I think my art is quite obsessive like hers and it is, in some ways, a good therapy for me, just forcing out my feelings through my art.
‘Keeping secrets is one of the most dangerous things you can do’, she says, ‘I’m interested cracking them open and revealing things – like Pandora’s box. Every time I do it for myself, I’m left with a lot more freedom afterwards’ (Brown, N. Kent, S. 1997, P. 36)
A good example of this is Emin’s ‘My Bed’ (Fig 25), which was created in her council flat in London during a four-day period of a serious depressive state caused by heartbreak. The bed is an aftermath of a nervous breakdown, featuring stained sheets, condoms, fag butts, empty bottles and worn pants. Not a beautiful scene, but very much raw and emotional, allowing large depth behind the artwork.
I particularly like Tracey Emin’s book ‘Tracey Emin: My Photo Album’ (Fig 23). Similarly to Richter’s ‘Atlas’, it shows a lot of personal images that she has taken throughout her life. I feel that both artists appreciate the true beauty of documenting through photography, as I do too.
In my own work, I do not feel it is as raw as can be seen in Emin’s work. I still feel like I hold back, as though I do not want people fully see how I feel. Whether I need to develop this or not is something I continue to consider. My current thinking is that, by leaving it as it is, I do not dictate a particular direction for the viewer to follow, instead I leave them space to develop their own thinking and bring in their own experiences/recollections. This, I feel, enables the viewer to connect with a piece more easily than where I give them the answer/finished product.
Sources Brown, N. Kent, S (1998). Tracey Emin. London: Art Data.
