I went to the Tate at the start of the month to see Tracey Emin’s new show. One of the fun things about growing older is how things connect across time. I previously saw an Emin solo show in New York in 1999, with my friend Katharine – Every Part of Me’s Bleeding. I called Katharine after visiting the Tate, saying she should go see the show, and explaining that I hadn’t enjoyed it.
The show is titled My Second Life, referring to how Emin survived cancer, and it’s intense. The fact I didn’t enjoy it is no reflection on how great it is – I’ve never seen a show that was this honest and disturbing. The horrors portrayed were a little too much for how I was feeling that day. Emin was dismissed as a confessional artist in the 90s and it’s a mark of success how the times have changed so that her work is now mainstream.
I hadn’t realised there was a Richard Long exhibition on at the same time. A simple five-room display, this was a good overview of his work, with scupltures, photographs and maps.
I also spent some time in the Rothko room. I love staring into those paintings. The room was fairly quiet on a Thursday day-time, and I could truly enjoy the space.
I’d been listening to Songs for Drella that morning, and was happy to see a Warhol in one of the siderooms.
On the way home, I passed through St. Pancras Station, where I saw one last work by Emin, added in 2017.
