Tracey Emin – This is Forever

Tracey Emin – This is Forever

Tracey Emin’s limited edition lithograph This is Forever presents a contemplative profile portrait enveloped in expressive handwritten text, all rendered in fluid blue ink. The intimate composition merges image and language, culminating in the repeated, aching refrain “Why Can’t I Love” written seven times. With its layered emotion and autobiographical undertones, the text-based artwork exemplifies Emin’s enduring engagement with themes of love, longing, and emotional exposure.

Tracey Emin, born in 1963 in London, stands as a central figure among the Young British Artists (YBAs) who rose to prominence in the early 1990s. Emin’s diverse body of work spans across various forms of artistic expression, including printmaking, painting, drawing, embroidery, installation, neon, film, and sculpture. Her art is characterized by a deeply personal approach that transforms her intimate life experiences, memories, and emotions into artworks that resonate on a universal level.

Emin is renowned for her unflinchingly autobiographical work, which delves into profound themes such as love, sex, death, and freedom, often infused with a sense of brutal honesty and a touch of humor. This personal revelation in her artwork creates a powerful, emotional dialogue with viewers, making her one of the most influential voices in contemporary art. Among her most notable and controversial pieces is the installation My Bed, which features an unmade bed surrounded by personal debris like cigarette butts, condoms, and empty liquor bottles. Exhibited as part of her nomination for the Turner Prize in 1999, this piece epitomizes her style of turning the private into the public.

In addition to her installations, Emin’s paintings and prints further explore these autobiographical themes, often capturing the same raw emotional intensity. Her paintings, for instance, utilize bold brushstrokes and a vivid palette to express states of mind and feelings, while her prints often replicate these themes in a format that allows for broader dissemination and engagement. Tracey Emin’s artistic influence is highlighted by her extensive exhibition history, which includes major shows at some of the world’s leading institutions. Her work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London (2020), Musée d’Orsay in Paris (2019), Leopold Museum in Vienna (2015), Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (2012), Kunstmuseum Bern (2009), and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam (2002).