Tracey Emin's major retrospective, "A Second Life," at the Tate Modern in London, presents over a hundred works spanning four decades of her career. The exhibition, conceived in close collaboration with Emin, includes paintings, videos, textiles, neon, sculpture, and installations, from early photographs of destroyed art-school pieces to new canvases and bronzes.
The exhibition is divided into two halves, with the first featuring highly personal installations like "Exorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made" (1996), which documented her three weeks working naked in a Stockholm gallery after an abortion, and her Turner Prize-nominated "My Bed" (1998), an installation of her unmade bed. Initially scandalous, "My Bed" is now seen as a seminal work reflecting the realities of the human body.
The second half of the exhibition explores Emin's work following her public battle with bladder cancer and radical surgery in 2020, which involved the removal of her bladder, womb, parts of her intestines, and lymphatic system. This period marks her "second life," a theme central to the exhibition's title, reflecting her recovery and renewed artistic output. Her more recent work includes bronzes, neons, and body-oriented paintings.
The retrospective highlights Emin's journey from a controversial figure, often associated with her Young British Artist contemporaries, to a respected artist who has transcended trauma and is now recognized for her serious contributions to painting. She has been appointed a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2024, represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 2007, and holds positions such as Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy and Trustee of the British Museum. The exhibition emphasizes her transition and enduring influence within the British art establishment.
Curated by Maria Balshaw, Alvin Li, and Jessica Baxter, with significant input from Emin herself, the exhibition aims to showcase her heritage and how she transcends personal trauma through her art. It also seeks to establish her as a significant painter who can compete with major expressionist artists.
