For me the power of Tracey Emin’s work lies in her ability to confront both deeply personal and universal human issues. How our life experiences shape the people we are and the people we become.
A visual autobiography comes in the form of her meticulously sewn blankets series.Her words are like a stormy margate sea, ebbing and flowing - ”Fuck school why go somewhere everyday to be told you’re late.” (No Chance [WHAT A YEAR] 1999) “I do not expect to be a mother but I do expect to die alone”. (And So I left 2008).
A wall of neon signs in Emin’s distinctive scrawl are immediate, bawdy and appealing. You can hear the hum of the neon, mantras advertising; ’People Like You Need to Fuck People Like Me’ and philosophising, ‘I whisper to my past, do I have another choice’.
The ground floor is filled with stories, written on paper, appliqued on chairs and furniture, in the form of nick knacks and personal memorabilia and on film. How it feels (1996) is the filmed account of her abortion and the emotional, physical scars that it left, using the backdrop of the city she reverses the clock and re-lives the moment. It is frank, horrifying but compelling viewing that offers an insight into a catalyst that drives Tracey Emin’s practice.
She literally bares all, the truth and beauty of the work is revealed and succinctly summed up in the image used to publicise the show.
Tracey Emin, Love Is What You Want, Hayward Gallery until 29th August, 2011
