Concrete Playground

Tracey Emin, one of the infamous YBA's, emerged in the late 1990s under the watchful eye of ubiquitous advertising-cum-gallerist magnate Charles Saatchi. Regardless of the form her work takes — she tinkers with text, neon, painting, textiles and photography — the content is always Tracey Emin: herself, her childhood, her relationships, her life. Some would question the merits of the underpinnings of her oeuvre, but for Emin, who believes that art and life are one and the same, is not the most direct route to present her own life as art?

Dutch historian, art critic and curator, Rudi Fuchs has described Emin as an honest realist. Her work is not always easy to look at, nor is it pleasant to think about where it came from. But much of the best art is like that, no? Emin's attitude itself says something about the magical capability of art — to allow us to express our humanity in ways that other mediums may not accommodate. Edmund Capon will I'm sure ask her about ideas of self-representation, feminism and expressionism. I’d love to hear what Emin has to say, and I encourage you to come along and join me.