Tracey Emin

My Photo Album is a journey through the life of British artist Tracey Emin using photographs from her personal collection. Edited from the albums she has kept from an early age, this visual autobiography contains some amazing images: Tracey sharing a pram as a baby with her twin Paul, her bus-pass photo aged 14, a ‘glamour’ shoot as a semi-naked art student, her early successes as an artist, through to hanging out with superstars such as David Bowie and Ronnie Wood. Perhaps more than any other artist working today, Tracey Emin’s work is grounded in the personal experiences and events of her life. In these poignant photographs we can examine this crossover: the moments that have shaped her, and influenced her work: from her family life to the pivotal Young British Artist movement of the 1990s. The design of the book resembles a photo album, with Tracey’s handwritten captions and notes accompanying the photographs. Virtually all of the 283 images have never been published before. Taken on 35mm film, they have an intimate, visceral quality. By turns tender and extrovert, they simultaneously document both the blossoming of an artist and a unique period in art history, from Emin’s singular viewpoint.… (lisätietoja)

Tracey Emin has stirred controversy as well as acclaim since she rose to fame as the most highly publicized of the infamous Young British Artists. Though denounced by conservative critics at the outset, Emin’s work has attracted serious critical attention since the early 1990s for being consistently engaging, original, and startlingly direct. Her work has succeeded over the years in many media—from films to appliqués, embroideries, and installations—but it is in her works on paper that the honesty and frankness that have come to characterize her work are most fully realized. Edited by the artist herself from an archive of work stretching back before the beginnings of her career in the late 1980s, A Thousand Drawings is at once a collection of Emin’s works on paper, an exposé of her life as an artist, and a collectible artifact in itself. Many of these works on paper shed light on well-known multimedia pieces, previously studied in Works 1963–2006, published by Rizzoli in 2006. Stripped of the distractions of form and context, her bare and enigmatic drawings are presented on bible-thin paper in a uniquely beautiful slipcased volume, with an introduction by the artist. From considered self-portraits to pen-and-ink drawings and informal studies on lined notebook paper, this remarkable collection is as much a catalogue of Emin’s preoccupations as it is a monument to her raw and evocative talents as an artist.… (lisätietoja)

Some books are crucial at certain points in your life, and this was one of those for me. I stumbled upon this book in the library when I was studying an Arts degree in the country. It was a strange – and possibly the most detrimental – time of my life, where I was growing into an adult woman. I had begun experiencing a great amount of conflicting emotions due to a big break-up, isolation from my home-town, and the painfully new feeling of ‘fending for myself’. This book was an absolute awakening for me in many ways, it was my first real insight into feminism, poverty, privilege, misogyny, life as a young woman in the world. This book became one of my favourites all those years ago – so recently I decided to re-read it and see how my perception of it had changed. I was rather pleased to discover that it was still as impactful now as it had been all those years ago.

Strangeland is a memoir, separated into three parts: Motherland, Fatherland and Traceyland. It is an array of recollections, stories and musings describing certain pivotal moments in Emin’s life, some of which are utterly unimaginable. Starting at Motherland, we get an insight into the rape and abuse she experienced as a young child whilst living in poverty, which is incredibly intense and difficult to stomach. Fatherland takes us through Emin’s Turkish culture, exploring the history and tradition of her fathers roots, including brief mentions of her Sudanese Grandfather. Emin has experienced an abnormal amount of misfortune in her life, especially as a young woman – even within this more cultural section of the book, she deals with issues that most young people will never face – including her father’s interest in marrying a 16 year old girl, whilst in his 60’s.

Finally we arrive at Traceyland, a place where Emin is completely herself, in all her feminist, artistic glory. In this section, I noticed a tone which is representative of the current #metoo movement, where Emin discusses the fact that ‘no means no’ and other ways in which men abuse power. The female body is a battleground as a young woman, and Emin explores this within her writing. There is a whole chapter titled ‘Advice on Unwanted Pregnancy’s’, including how to avoid them but also how to deal with them, and be kind to yourself during such an isolating time. Traceyland also explores the dichotomy that is the pain of being a tortured artist, whilst art has also saved her.

Strangeland is certainly not for the faint of heart, it combines lucid dreaming, disjointed essays, poetry and musings into one conglomerate of chapters that delve deep into Emin’s life. I’m glad I discovered this book at a pivotal point of my life, and that I was able to revisit it without disappointment. Emin is certainly not literary, but she can write an engaging and eye opening memoir.

- from polreaderblog[dot]wordpress[dot]com… (lisätietoja)