Tracey Emin is no longer a YBA. At 47 years old she has reached a mid-career juncture. This is a make it or break it time in a successful artists life. Has she done it? This critic says yes! I entered the exhibition ready to dismiss Emin’s work,as a whole, but it still holds water. It certainly isn’t fluff. It is bold, well executed and daring. In this age of accessibility to art exhibitions there are many, quality is rare and there is little to top this compilation of drawings textile and sculptural work. The drawings are by far Emin’s strongest medium. Her work has many recognizable qualities making it original and distinctive. The message, well, always personal, Emin explores a microcosm of Tracey, selfish,self-indulged and absorbed not a criticism but a reality. Do I care about this? It doesn’t effect my level of understanding or appreciation of the work on offer which is world class and high on my list of top British artists from the last century.
Tracey Emin was born in London in 1963 and grew up in Margate. She studied at Maidstone College of Art and the Royal College of Art, London. She has exhibited extensively internationally, including solo and group exhibitions in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Japan, Australia, The United States and Chile. In 2008, Emin held her first major retrospective at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, which subsequently toured to Malaga (2008), and Bern (2009). In 2007 Emin represented Britain at the 52nd Venice Biennale. In the same year she was made a Royal Academician and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal College of Art, London, a Doctor of Letters from the University of Kent and Doctor of Philosophy from London Metropolitan – Visit The Exhibition
See Youtube Video Tracey Emin “Love Is What You Want” Hayward Gallery London – Music Plastic Heroes
Tracey Emin Does It At The Hayward Gallery
