The first retrospective of «mad Tracey from Margeyta»
ARTinvestment.RU   10 августа 2008

In Edinburgh, an ambitious exhibition of the famous representatives of the movement «Young British Artists» Tracey Emin

2 August at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh has opened a retrospective Tracey Emin (Tracey Emin). The name of the artist's familiar to all those who have less interest in contemporary art. Emin considered to movement of Young British Artists ( «Young British Artists»), from which came Damien Hurst (Damien Hirst) , Sarah Lucas (Sarah Lucas), Uaytred Rachel (Rachel Whiteread), Gary Hume (Gary Hume), and others. However, the art of Emin, unlike most of the creativity of the movement, almost without irony. In his works the artist turn his life and tells the audience his whole life, until the worst details.

Tracey Emin was born in 1963 in a suburb of London and held a childhood in the town Margeyt, where her father, and from the Turkish part of Cyprus, was a hotel. Tracey and her twin brother, Paul, were natural children. Their parents met, as already married people, and when the children were born, the father had to live on the two families. When Tracy was nine years old, father's business went to ashes. Soon, he left her mother and the family left, I can say without a livelihood. Tracy's childhood was hard: she often suffered from sexual harassment on the part of the hotel guests, and 13 years were sexually abused. Adolescent years, it has frequently changed partners and abuse alcohol. Later, this experience is reflected in the famous «blankets».

In 1980, the «mad Tracey from Margeyta» (as she calls herself) was admitted to the College of Design Meduey, where he met with the artist, poet and punk musician Billy Chayldishem (Billy Childish), who later said: «Artists who do not write the paintings - not the artists!» Like Emin art, paintings, poems and novels Chayldisha differ brutal honesty. Both the artist explained that the violence suffered in childhood. Long live together with Emin and Chayldisha did not, but they remained friends for many years. In 1987, Emin moved to London, which entered the Royal College of Art, which in due time graduated from Henry Moore (Henry Moore), David Hockney (David Hockney), Bridget Riley (Bridget Riley), and other famous artists. There, she wrote a lot of paintings, inspired by works of Edward Munch (Edvard Munch), and Egon Schiele (Egon Schiele), but most of them subsequently destroyed.

Photos of the destroyed works have appeared on the first personal exhibition Emin, which was held in the gallery White Cube (one of which sold for $ 100 million diamond «skull» Demiena Hirst). In addition, this exhibition could be seen the installation on the tragically deceased uncle artist. One element of the installation - a pack of cigarettes, which was in the hands of his uncle, when the terrible automobile accident that took his life. According to Emin, the work of «Uncle Colin» arouses critics and visitors disgust. Nobody believed that the artist is actually his uncle died, all thought that the installation is devoted to fictional character. When people learned that his uncle, Colin actually existed and was the best friend Tracy, they once again experienced a shock - this time from the artist's desire to put their feet all the «naked truth» of the tragic details of his life.

By the early 1990's are the first well-known «the work of a tissue». At enormous quilted blankets embroidered girl expressive words and phrases, which informed the world about their mixed feelings and different, often unsightly and comfortless, the details of his biography. Sincerity is not immediately noticed Emin: «in the wake of» it was the post-irony, which symbolized the work of her friends Demiena Hirst and Sarah Lucas.

scandal known artist sent installation «All with whom I slept, 1963-1995», which she presented at the 1997 Sensation. This exhibition was organized mediamagnatom and collector Charles Saatchi (Charles Saatchi), which is one of the first saw the art and, more importantly, the market value of «Young British Artists». In the same exhibition was presented and the famous «shark in formaldehyde» Hurst, many embody the essence of modern art. «All those whom I slept» - the blue tent, inside which the «walls» embroidered the names of those with whom Emin had shared a bed. Many criticized (and continue to berate) this installation because it makes the artist a «dirty linen» in public, exposing for all to see the extensive list of his sexual partners. But the goal of creating the work - not a shock and epatazh, a story about the feelings of the people to whom the artist has ever belonged gently. In the list are not only lovers Emin, but also her twin brother, girlfriend and the unborn child (at that time had to artist to have two abortions). Installation was in the Saatchi collection, until in 2004 it did not destroy the fire: in the repository Momart, where the works from his collection, the fire, which killed many works «Young British Artists». For retrospective in Edinburgh Emin was asked again to make a tent (offering her a million pounds for it), but she refused. «Recreate it would be wrong from an ethical point of view - Emin said that this proposal is very upset. - The emotional component of the work was already far not the same».

Many attribute the popularity of the artist features of the mass culture of the past ten years. Today, when the flourishing genre of reality shows, the yellow press inspired document type self-stars Britney Spears (Britney Spears) and Amy Uaynhaus (Amy Winehouse), millions of people each day, spread information about his personal life (up to the most intimate details) in the Internet blogs, and stories about real people and events are becoming popular than fiction - now works Tracey Emin «had to the court». She loved young girls, tired of the constant demands that they present society. The artist herself said that it was girls aged 15 to 24 years - her main fans. Art Emin - «home», intimate, it is almost DIY (Do-It-Yourself, «DIY»). In contrast, the same Hurst Emin does not have an army of professional helpers that make for a whole dreary work to create pieces. She sews their own blankets, the seams are not very good, and even many of her works dilapidate the day after the creation. Art Hurst Demiena her friend something like clothes from Alexander McQueen (Alexander McQueen), epatazhny «trophy» for the rich. A creative works like Emin home designers sell their creations on the site like Etsy.com. Of course, its cost is much more expensive, but it is far from a multimillion «business empire», which is built Hurst.

It should be noted that the exhibition Tracey Emin persons under 16 years of age can enter only when accompanied by adults. Age limits imposed because of the provocative inscriptions embroidered on «blankets», erotic (and often pornographic) content of her paintings and drawings, as well as the installation of the famous «My bed». From this work it was nominated for an award of J. M. W. Turner (Turner Prize) in 1999. The work represents a real artist uncleared bed, which is not get out a week, being in a deep depression. On beds lie empty bottles, cigarette «gobies», used the means of protection, and other «artifacts». Since installation is related to many funny stories. For example, one lady came to the exhibition Emin with brushes, and the firm intention pribrat bed. A two performansista, Yuan Tea (Yuan Chai) and Jian Jun Xi (Jian Jun Xi), well it poprygali (one year later, they staged another presentation - this time in the Tate Modern gallery, which attempted to use the famous urinal Marcel Duchamp (Marcel Duchamp ) on the intended purpose).

In retrospect, in Edinburgh, representing all facets of the creative work of artist: «blanket», painting, drawing, installation, sculpture, photography and video art. Separately, is true of video under the title «Why I never became a dancer». This work «inspired» painful memories. In 1979, Tracy was involved in the dance competition hosted in the city. When she danced, the young men present in the room, shouting in her various insults. She fled the scene in tears. Of course, it could bury the incident in his memory, not to impose their harsh memories for the audience, but ... on the other hand, why would she do that? Maybe this and other work of Emin make visitors think about something very important.

Tracey Emin exhibition will run until November 9. She then moved to Malaga, and then in Bern.

Julia Maksimova

Sources: sundayherald.com , independent.co.uk , telegraph.co.uk , artinfo.com , artinvestment.ru