Tate Modern has launched a landmark exhibition of British artist Tracey Emin‘s work, shown in this one-minute video produced by Dezeen.
In partnership with fashion house Gucci, Tate Modern presented the largest ever survey exhibition of Emin’s work to date.
Tracey Emin’s exhibition at the Tate Modern is open to the public now
Titled Tracey Emin: A Second Life, the exhibition spans 40 years of Emin’s practice, comprising over 100 works across the mediums of painting, video, installation, textiles and sculpture.
The show traces Emin’s early works from her first solo exhibition at the White Cube, and through the height of the Young British Artists (YBA) era in the late 1980s and 1990s.
My Bed is one of Emin’s most well-known artworks
Included in the exhibition are some of Emin’s most notable works from this period such as My Bed, a 1998 artwork which recreates Emin’s bedroom during a depressive episode, with objects like underwear, condoms and medicine scattered around the bed.
Emin worked often in textiles, with several quilt and calico pieces on display within the exhibition.
A 2002 textile work “The Last of the Gold”, embroidered with advice for women undergoing abortions will be shown publicly for the first time.
Emin’s textile work often address topics such as violence towards women and trauma
The exhibition continues through Emin’s career, up to her contemporary work in sculpture, photography and painting.
Exhibited recent works address Emin’s experiences of disability and cancer, which she was diagnosed with in 2020.
A bronze sculpture titled Ascension explores Emin’s relationship with her own body after undergoing major surgery, and in the Tate Modern courtyard an imposing bronze sculpture of a folded female body can be found.
Several of Emin’s recent sculpture works are featured in the exhibition
Previously Tate Modern has hosted exhibitions on notable figures in art and design such as performance artist and designer Leigh Bowery and architecturally-informed artist Do Ho Suh.Â
The photography is by Jai Monaghan, Sonal Bakrania and Yili Liu, courtsey of Tate. The top image is courtesy of Tracey Emin.Â
Tracey Emin: A Second Life is on at Tate Modern until 31 August 2026. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Gucci as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen’s partnership content here.