Tracey X Tracey

Since her rise to fame in the 1990s, Emin has been labelled the “enfant terrible” of the Young British Artists. Emin has been called this by critics and collectors ever since, partly because of her controversial practice, and partly because of the preservation of youthful wonder in her work. Tracey X Tracey is an instance in which we truly see the artist as this “enfant terrible”.

Sitting on two wooden chairs rendered in blue ink are a young girl and a woman. The title of the work itself makes clear the identities of these two sitters: on the left is an imagined self-portrait of Emin during girlhood, and on the right another self-portrait of Emin in adulthood. Joined together by a coiled line of red ink, Emin makes clear the blood bond between the child and adult. Through this lifeline that unites the two Traceys, Emin pronounces the indelible ties between one’s childhood experiences and adulthood. Much like her entire body of work, Tracey X Tracey is testament to Emin’s lifelong existence as an artist, constantly referring to past and present selves to make her confessional and poignant work.