Tracey Emin retrospective, London

Tracey Emin's work may be as depraved, egotistical and confrontational as ever - there's even a used tampon thrown into one of her new pieces - but she's never been more in favour. Not only has she been swept up in the arms of the Hayward Gallery this month, which is staging a major retrospective of her work, but she's also being embraced by Louis Vuitton. The luxury fashion brand is currently both showing her work in store and flaunting a limited edition hand-rolled, hand-stitched silk scarf by Emin as its latest must-have item.
Watch an interview with Tracey Emin as she prepares for her Hayward gallery show
But let's start with the Hayward Gallery. For someone who has exposed just about every aspect of her life, it's amazing we've not had enough of Emin. Yet it's hard not to be absorbed by the way the British artist pieces together and packages the fragments of her existence - as embroidered scrawl on blankets and chairs, short-but-potent films and intense neon statements, all represented in this exhibition.
The works here (over 170 in total) have an extraordinary narrative pull, with a speedy stroll around the show likely to take several hours. Sure there's some repetition: the endless self-pity and the constant cries to be loved. But there's also huge poignancy to her work, particularly pieces like 'Knowing My Enemy' (2002) - a vast sculpture of a collapsed pier, with a hut at the end. Made in response to a letter from her father (framed on the wall of the gallery), it's her vision of the safe haven he longed for but could never quite reach.
But it's her drawings that capture us most, which are given a whole room at the Hayward Gallery: those fraught, trembling lines, sometimes incarnated as monoprints or etchings, other times as stitching. Which brings us neatly back to Louis Vuitton. In its New Bond Street Maison, the fashion brand has given over its Exhibition Space and Libraire - where it commissions, exhibits and sells limited edition works and books by artists (see W*136) - to Emin's works, in particular her prints.
Hung in the Libraire are eight new etchings by Emin, bearing her inimitable scrawl. Produced in collaboration with Counter Editions and Carl Freedman Gallery, these are encased in an Emin-designed leather case and the complete box set is being sold in an edition of ten. You can also pick up one of 50 hand-rolled, hand-stitched silk scarves, entitled 'Sex 21 Sydney (2011)'.
A series of appliquéd blankets (various dates) by Tracey Emin
Photograph by David Levene
'Running Naked' by Tracey Emin, 2000/11
Courtesy of the artist
A series of appliquéd blankets (various dates) and 'Knowing My Enemy' (2002), by Tracey Emin
Foreground: 'Salem' by Tracey Emin, 2005
'Love is What You Want' by Tracey Emin, 2011
Courtesy of the artist
'I've got it all' by Tracey Emin, 2000
Courtesy of the Saatchi Gallery, London
'There's Alot of Money in Chairs' by Tracey Emin, 1994
Courtesy of Jay Jopling / White Cube
'Mother, Father, Children' by Tracey Emin, 2011, shown on the sculpture terrace and created especially for the Hayward Gallery exhibition
Photograph by David Levene
Louis Vuitton, which is supporting the Hayward Gallery show, has also given over the Exhibition Space and Libraire of its New Bond Street Store to Emin's work
Both shows take their name from Emin's 2011 neon work, 'Love is What You Want'
Tracey Emin installation at Louis Vuitton New Bond Street
'Sex 21 Sydney,' by Tracey Emin, 2011. Sold as a limited edition hand-rolled, hand-stitched silk scarf. Each scarf comes with a tag, signed and numbered by the artist
Eight soft-ground etchings in the Librairie, produced in a limited edition of 100
The eight etchings are sold in a bespoke Emin-designed leather box (in an edition of 10)
Also in the Libraire are two artist's books: the autobiographical Exploration of the Soul and Details of Depression, both limited editions, signed and numbered by the artist
'Tracey x Tracey' by Tracey Emin, 2006, screen printed on calico and produced in an edition of 200
'Insane Reflection' by Tracey Emin, 2006, screen printed, hand-stitched on cotton, and produced in an edition of 200
'Hades, Hades, Hades' by Tracey, 2009 - two screen prints, hand stitched on cotton, and produced in an edition of 200
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Malaika Byng is an editor, writer and consultant covering everything from architecture, design and ecology to art and craft. She was online editor for Wallpaper* magazine for three years and more recently editor of Crafts magazine, until she decided to go freelance in 2022. Based in London, she now writes for the Financial Times, Metropolis, Kinfolk and The Plant, among others.
-
Revolutionary Apple icon designer Susan Kare unveils a playful jewellery and objet collaboration with Asprey Studio
Asprey Studio's new collection, Esc Keys, brings digital artworks by Susan Kare to life
By Hannah Silver Published
-
What is the role of fragrance in contemporary culture, asks a new exhibition at 10 Corso Como
Milan concept store 10 Corso Como has partnered with London creative agency System Preferences to launch Olfactory Projections 01
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Jack White's Third Man Records opens a Paris pop-up
Jack White's immaculately-branded record store will set up shop in the 9th arrondissement this weekend
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
‘This blood that is flowing is my blood, and that should be a positive thing’: Tracey Emin at White Cube
Tracey Emin’s exhibition ‘I followed you to the end’ has opened at White Cube Bermondsey in London, and traces the artist’s journey through loss
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Studio Lenca nods to Salvadorian heritage with riot of colour in Margate
Studio Lenca considers boundaries in ‘Leave to Remain’ at Carl Freedman Gallery in Margate
By Emily Steer Published
-
Politics, protest and potential: the Barbican explores the power of textiles in art
Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art’ at the Barbican Centre in London explores how far the medium has evolved in the last sixty years
By Emily Steer Published
-
At Melbourne’s NGV Triennial 2023, artists consider magic, matter and memory
Melbourne’s NGV has opened its third triennial, uniting art, design and architecture from around the world
By Elias Redstone Published
-
The Weight of Things: Damien Hirst curates his retrospective in Munich
The Weight of Things, at The Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art, Munich (MUCA), was curated by Hirst himself and comprises work spanning four decades
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
Frieze London 2023: what to see and do
Everything you want to see at Frieze London 2023 and around the city in our frequently updated guide
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Tracey Emin interview: ‘If I hadn’t made art, I would be dead by now’
We speak to British artist Tracey Emin in her hometown of Margate, where she has created a new painting to raise funds for TKE Studios, a pioneering complex serving the next generation of radical creatives. ‘I don’t want to die being an artist that made really interesting work. I want to make a future.’
By Sheila Lam Last updated
-
A woman’s right to pleasure: the LA exhibition rewriting the history of female sexuality
Artists including Nan Goldin, Tracey Emin and Reka Nyari take part in ‘BlackBook Presents: A Woman’s Right to Pleasure’ at Sotheby’s LA
By Hannah Silver Last updated