"At first I was hesitant. If I was 70 or 75, I'd have thought, 'Yeah!' But I had to really think about what I was doing. Is this the right time in my career to do it? How would I affect me? Sometimes, when you do things too young or when you're not ready, it's not good for you. But you also have to do things when you're given the opportunity."
"My whole background is so British, everything about me is what being British is—it's a bit of this, a bit of that. And I'm very proud of it, I'm so proud to be British. I love lots of it. But what I don't like is jingoistic, racist, bigoted behaviour that is dividing our country."
Tracey Emin's major exhibition Second Life opens at Tate Modern this week, marking an unconventional choice for a living British artist, as such artists typically show at Tate Britain. Emin declined Tate Britain, viewing it as insufficient challenge given her prior exhibitions there. Initially hesitant about the Tate Modern offer, she carefully considered timing and career impact before accepting. The exhibition is thematic and deeply personal rather than retrospective, curated by her creative director Harry Weller alongside Tate staff. One gallery explores Emin's multicultural heritage, including her Turkish Cypriot father with Sudanese ancestry and Romanichal mother, while addressing racism her family experienced. Emin expresses pride in British identity while rejecting jingoistic and racist behavior.
Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events
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