Tracey Emin: She Lay Down Deep Beneath The Sea
Margate may not have always been kind to Tracey Emin but it has provided her with plenty of material for her self-reflective art.
Her latest exhibition ‘She Lay Down Deep Beneath The Sea’ comprises work made in the past year specifically for the Turner Contemporary gallery in Emin’s hometown.
Her tales of promiscuity and rape may not have inspired complete confidence in the coastal town, but don’t be put off as visiting Margate to take in the exhibition is a great opportunity to take break from the capital and get a lungful if sea air.
Emin’s harshest critics may find themselves silenced by this new collection, most of which is straight from her studio. It shows the 50-year-old artist reflecting on her cruel experiences of Margate in a more mature way - revealing a new found affection for the location of past defiance.
The works include sketching, sculpture, embroidery, the unmistakable neons and, as always, embody themes of eroticism, depression and love.
Perhaps the greatest silencer of all is that her work will be hung alongside nude sketches by Turner and Rodin, highlighting the power she wields as a female artist representing herself, unlike years gone by. And ever the rebel, Emin continues to stick two fingers up to the Man – and we kind of like that!
She Lay Down Deep Beneath The Sea is showing at the Turner Contemporary, Margate until September 2012.
Words: Laura Thornley
