Tracey Emin has received a damehood for her services to British art. She was appointed a CBE in 2012 and made a freewoman of Margate in 2022.
There is nothing like a dame go the words of the song written by Rogers & Hammerstein and there are certainly few like Tracey Emin. In this day and age, Royal honours might seem outdated but they still mean something when awarded to artists of all genres.
“It’s really cool,” she says. “I don’t think there’s ever been a Dame Tracey before.”
The Tent – also known as Everyone I Have Ever Slept With was another controversial piece of art that challenged some observers. The work was not simply the names of people she had been in sexual relationships with, but people she had been intimate with more generally. The 102 names included her grandmother and two foetuses.
Tracey Emin was born in Croydon on 3rd July 1963 and brought up in Margate, Kent. She has survived bladder cancer and set up the Tracey Emin Artist Residency (TEAR). She converted the old public baths in Margate into artistsā studios, where 10 students get rent-free for 18 months.
She has led a full life and like many of our generation, perhaps fuller than was good for us. Edgy might be how would be describe her today. Years ago she was considered anti establishment.
Her work says a lot about her childhood and upbringing. Much is written about her early life including rape and relationship difficulties so we won’t go into that here. If you want to find out more about Tracey Emin, this YouTube interview is interesting > HERE
What is art?
Art is down to personal taste and conceptual art in particular can draw criticism from audiences. I remember the ridicule of Tracey Eminās – My Bed when it went on show in 1999 at the Tate Modern. Many people simply dismissed it as rubbish and deplored its placing in the museum.
If we stop and study a piece of art and try to understand its meaning, we engage our brain and find the hidden meaning in the work. This is an important part of our development and helps us grow mentally and understand people from all walks of life.
If we encourage our children to be curious about the world around them, they will grow up to be more rounded, knowledgeable and understanding.
I’d like to know your opinion about conceptual art, please get in touch HERE
In the past, some people criticised the work of Matisse and Warhol for not being proper art. However, that was because they were unconventional and breaking new ground in the art world.
HEAL 