Sunday 10 August 2008

Tracey Emin









Talk of the town and country is of the 20 year retrospective of Tracey Emin's work at the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh. It just opened and although she represented the UK at the Venice Biennale last year in 2007 this is her first retrospective in Britain.
I have not yet been to see the show/exhibition but I will when I go to Edinburgh next because I actually want to go and see the Richard Hamilton show that is up and the new Ingleby Gallery space. 3 birds in one trip and also of course I don't want to miss the Fruitmarket Gallery which cannot be missed. There is usually something good on there too.
Tracey Emin has a reputation as being a controversial artist and being the bad girl of contemporary British art etc. I see someone who wants attention desperately and at any price.
Many people do know her name and some of her so called seminal pieces like Her Bed that was up for the Turner Prize many moons ago. She is often in the press/media and in this way she has accomplished fame for however long it lasts but as for the work and it lasting. That is the question. Is it very much of the zeitgeist? Yes I would say so. YBA is about the zeitgeist.
Personally the work that I respond to is that of Louise Bourgeois for example if I want to see art about personal history and psychology. Annette Messager or Christian Boltanski. Sophie Calle is also interesting but the artists I have mentioned here are of older generations than Tracey Emin and so am I.
The zeitgeist issue then becomes apparent.
I will post images of some of her work here and please write any responses you may have!

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