Tracey Emin's "Love is What You Want"

   “Love is What You Want” is an exhibition that has been crammed full with thoughts, memories, emotion. Starting on the 18^th May and concluding on the 29^th, August Bank Holiday Monday. The exposition begins with Emin’s quilts; garishly coloured and laden with passionate outburst; “You cruel heartless bitch”, “I do not expect to be a mother, but I do expect to die alone”, (“Hotel International”, 1993). The words all jumbled up together on the one sheet, are like a page of memories, clips of conversation and deep thought of the past. For me, they reminded me of insomniac rantings, the sort of anxious thoughts you have before falling asleep, or the words you hear mid-dream.

   You are herded into the neon room up the sloped ramp, a blackened room full of scrawled messages in fluorescent tubing. Emin was inspired by the aesthetic qualities of these lights; “ ‘It’s spangly, it’s pulsating. It’s out there, it’s vibrant.’ Reminiscent of tacky messy Margate nights, these lights display thoughts and statements fresh from the mind of the artist. These lights have elements of graphic design in them, especially noting a copy of the “Love is What You Want” neon light designed onto a bag in the Gallery Gift Shop. There is something advertised and sloganized about them. I personally enjoyed how if you shut your eyes whilst staring at one of the lights, the image would be burnt onto your retina, a copy in your own eyes. But hey, that’s just me being weird.

   There is definitely an element of self-deprecated humour in some of the videos exhibited, a few chuckles were heard from guests in the area of the video; “Love Is A Strange Thing” a portrayal of a particularly random dream the artist had had one night. Hats off again to the curators, who formatted this area so that three particularly light hearted videos are located in succession to eachother. An emotional preparation for the next particular area of ”Love Is What You Want”.

  The larger space of the exhibition is full of old personal items and memorabilia; underwear, hospital wristbands, toys. Emin really airs her dirty laundry (pffft) in one whack in this area of the gallery. The room had a shocked ambiance, reflected in the visitor’s sombre silence. You would not have been able to hear a pin drop in this room. I personally, found that area of the exhibition strangely exhausting, especially the video of Emin describing her experiences with abortion.

   The curating of the exposition overall is highly considered and calculated. Almost chronological (pardon the alliteration), we see Emin evolve through different periods of her work and life.  Childhood, love life, her family history, her friends, to more wider issues such as teen pregnancy. This is reflected in the outside terraced, spaces of the gallery, we see brass sculptures of small children’s objects. Eerily desolate, Emin is still clearly coming to terms with her relationship with motherhood and children through her work.

    The autobiographical works are the most controversial, the works that people have seen and groaned “Tracey is banging on about herself again.” Thats after they’ve gotten over the blood stained knickers of 1998’s ”My Bed”. If one must need an answer as to why Tracey would not just keep the “narcissism” on the DL, it must be noted that Tracey had to go through it. The artistic phase of self-discovery. Emin as a natural storyteller felt the need to tell the tales of her past and her present, like Egon Schiele’s many self portraits (except he died of the Spanish Flu as he was just leaving his personal area of autobiographical works, sadface) or Kahlo’s symbolic, pained paintings, some artists are fascinated by themselves, and use their work as a therapeutic outlet. Looking over the years, we do see this as a passing phase, soon overcome by different subjects.

I don’t want to get all philosophical on y’all, but sometimes Art is like Life in that sense, that it changes and compartmentalizes. And this is experienced in “Love is What You Want.” 

   Indescribably sensitive, an enriching emotional experience, which leaves you feeling full and highly informed of Tracey Emin’s life. Rich, colourful, honest, like the artist’s quilts. Bravo.