Another artist I have researched at least once a year of my 5 years of arts degrees. I even appropriated her ‘my bed’ to talk about my sisters death 2nd year of my undergrad degree. Then on this huge trip round the world I pretty much went to London to see the real thing at TATE contemporary and also visit Sacchi gallery. Would you believe it? ‘My Bed’ was on loan to some other gallery that was not on my 30 city, 14 country trip.
Emin is relevant to me as our practices are both situated in a feminist context. Or the female gaze. Yet also speaking candidly about our own lives in our art. Is that feminist? I always struggle with this.
I decided to read a book. Remember those things? I often buy these photography / art / architecture books and read them once then don’t often revisit. Even though this one has been in prime position on my coffee table since I bought it in 2016 (I think). Another State and 2 apartments ago.
“My Photo Album’ is just that. There is an image of the front cover of the photo album. Emin says she loved it as it ‘Gave me a sense That There was a whole exotic world out There’.
The image reminded me of the 1 of 2 photo albums left behind when my sister died. Same palm trees, but blue. She loved them. A lot of polaroid and instamatic cam photos in those two albums. I extracted a lot of the pictures and kept some up to this day, but I wish I’d kept the entire albums.
I also wish I’d documented my life from a teenager to adult like Emin has. I have learned so much about her, or her life, just by pouring through this book. Her memories, but a photographic documentation.
She was obviously a fraternal twin with Paul, her brother. This childhood is documented, as is her teenage years flirting with punk and fashion. Then her travels, photographs she made in her spare time as (presumably art) students.
Just little things, the day her dad took her & bro on a trip to Brighton. The day she signed the lease on a house.
But also her career. Shots of her making her work that I have seen in the flesh, installing it, travelling around the world exhibiting it. Her rise to fame. One entry is ‘My museum 1995. Sometimes I would work all night And I would look up to see people watching through The large plate window.’
I cant believe she thought it was ok, having her front teeth extracted, when drunk by a boyfriend. I know his name from the tent "Everyone I have ever slept with'.
I remember this above from 1st year Vis arts degree. My lecturer asked whether any of us would spend a week locked in your studio as a project, also making work. I said yes. She had 2 bottles of wine with food in the photo.
Hanging with David Bowie and Kate Moss, relationships, struggles , irreverence to the art world. Then when she’s thin, when she’s fat. Its does not seem to me to be discriminated, what she shows. Although Im sure it is.
Just through images Emin takes me into her world, her entire life. Or snaps shots of it. Which is kind of the point of her art. And that is exactly what I am taking away from this. Its so interesting looking at the candour of Emins work. The brutal honesty, yet knowing it is all what she has chosen to show.
There is text at the end of the book which highlights the fact there is huge gaps in the documentation from a small child to a teenager. And the unhappy childhood. She says she didn’t grow up with images of the family marking of time, but an image of self. I don’t quite see the difference it would make in relation to this book, nor to my life where I did, but have none of them left except a brother.
I find this ability to make, you know, just your life into an art project just wonderful. Probably why she became successful to the degree Im researching her and went round the world to see her work. And have this book. She says this book (and I think her work, in general) is about identity.
I saw a couple of photos of her in Sydney. My hometown. I saw a video of her earlier this year speaking about her work commissioned by the MCA that would have been this time. She says she was sad at the time. An image captures her at some point, but documents a time and feeling for her. Pretty much everything Emin says and does resonates with me.
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