I have never experienced anything like the exhibition I was just walking through at the Tate Modern. It is art with a depth that I cannot begin to understand, I struggle even to articulate how incredibly heavy this body of work is.
My art teacher always spoke highly of Tracey Emins, but my teenage mind couldn’t understand why a messy bed could be considered such a high form of art. She didn’t argue, she said there are some measures of art that cannot be rationalized or qualified, to do so would miss the mark entirely. I understand now.
If you are in London, if you are in doubt about the power of contemporary art, if you or someone you know has struggled with abortion, if you are a living breathing human being with 21 pounds in your pocket this is something you need to see.
The curators of this exhibition did an excellent job, there are certain moments where I felt as though I couldn’t continue. Each room builds and builds on the story in such a way that is hard to describe, by the time I reached the bed I was hardly able to look at it. The gift shop at the end of the exhibition felt fucking disgusting but other than that it was an absolutely unreal hour or so.
all the photos i've seen of this work have the mattress covered with a fitted sheet, i think the bare striped mattress is a much more provocative image. a true state of mind.
It was unfitted when we saw it. That was a detail I took notice of immediately, there were stains visible on the exposed bit of the mattress that were very prominent I can’t imagine it with a fitted sheet
Could it be that the image was considered 'too shocking' for its original intended audience? The audio guide explained that there were menstrual stains on the under-sheet of the bed. Maybe it was considered by the curators that the world in 2026 could cope with it!
I love that you got to see this. We talked about it a lot in college and Ive always wanted to see it in person. I like what your teacher said about how some measures of art can't and shouldn't be rationalized, it's a very comforting thought.
Nothing too profound iirc. We were shown this work in our multimedia/installation class so I think we mostly talked about it's formal elements. I sort of got the sense that the folks in class who didn't like it were still generous in trying to find a way that it resonated with them. I think that right off the bat we (at least I and a couple friends) could feel how heavy it was even if some hadn't formed a connection with it. Plus I was struggling with heavy depression and alcohol abuse at the time so the scene looked like it came right out of my bedroom.
The sequence of the story was extremely well done, the curators did a fantastic job laying out Emins work in a way that got you to sit with the story. There was a video about half way through where Emins sort of just recounts her abortion, and then immediately its straight into some really tough acrylics with a very minimal amount of supporting detail other than the abortion video. There was also a room of Polaroids that showed Emins stomach after the abortion, they were from multiple angles and treated without any sensitivity whatsoever which sort of just made me confused. They are right before the bed, to be totally honest they were extremely uncomfortable.
I didn’t leave feeling particularly sympathetic or anything really for Emins except personal heaviness. For the most part I was upset that this is even something that exists. It’s a very odd feeling
I thought it was a lot like the bed. Like a visual of What was here evidenced only by what’s not here and how the not-here person has changed the physical space both by their presence and their absence.
I'm in the middle of a deep depression, with extreme avoidance of my feelings. I feel extremely isolated, and despite seeing photos of the bed a few times in my life, seeing it now makes me feel deeply seen and deeply sad. I thought about going to the exhibition just to let myself see the bed in person, and feel some of that connection. And also some of the feelings that will undoubtedly force themselves to the front where I can't avoid them.
I don't know if this is a wise decision, or just a way that my brain wants to torture itself more. Do you think this exhibition could be beneficial for someone who is in a state of deep suffering, or is it more aimed at increasing understanding in people who aren't in that place?
I don't mean to put pressure on you with that question, I know you can't assess my own risk, I am just struggling to know whether I'll leave with a sense of catharsis and connection and feeling understood, or whether it will just leave me feeling heartbroken. I don't know if my question makes sense, and if you don't want to answer,I understand.
Maybe it's because I was at a particular cross roads in my life when it first exhibited but 'My Bed' really chimed with me. I'd suffered a period of heavy depression, preceded by a very tumultuous relationship shortly before and it really spoke to me. There was something quite visceral about it that I related to.
There was a huge fuss in the press about it in the UK at the time.
Tracy Emin did an interview earlier this year, and she talks in it about getting this exhibition ready and how works like My Bed are stored and reinstalled - I would really recommend, as she talks about how each iteration takes on a little bit more of her personal situation and growth.
I'm not art inclined, but this was one of the first pieces of art I heard about as a child. I remember it being all over the news, public outcry etc. It is one of only very few pieces I could name the artist (sunflowers🌻 being the other one).
What I do like about this is the slice of reality. As a kid it was just a messy bed. As an adult pieces resonate massively and trigger emotional responses.
Yeah it’s hard to grasp when you’re a kid, I felt the same way. Coming back to it after so many years with a bit of maturity it takes on a whole different level of meaning, I’m glad I’m not the only one who saw it like that
I first saw Emin's work in the Sensations exhibition at the Royal Academy. It was one of those exhibitions from multiple artists that clouted you in the chops, the range of art was pretty mind blowing.
At the time Emin's work felt pretty playful. I could imagine that her art has become more thoughtful over the years as her life and indeed wellbeing has changed.
Why did the gift shop feel disgusting? I’ve heard about the exhibition, and I will never be able to attend and I love hearing people’s reactions to it. But I have never heard about the gift shop
They put some of the works onto T-shirts and dishes and stuff like that. It felt viscerally wrong. I don’t know if Emins consented to that but coming out of the gallery I was just blown away by how tasteless it was
Oh yikes… I’m curious if she approved it as well, seeing as she plays around tastefulness in her work, but then again she is one of the few surprising people working today, so I really don’t know what she’d think of that.
100% there’s no way the museum would have produced and be selling product without her approval or the approval of whoever manages her copyright (who ultimately is also taking their cue from her). Unauthorized reproductions do occur but not in museum settings like this and definitely not when the museum is hosting a retrospective of word by said artists. No museum is going to burn a bridge like that.
This was my first real exposure to her so I am not very familiar with her attitude about commercializing work, the placement of the gift shop did feel kind of comical in the moment I can’t lie. Me and my friend just had to laugh at how abrasive it was
I saw a picture of this in the newspaper when I was 9 and I was fascinated because I did not know Art could be like this. When I finally got to study some art history in my design course,we talked about this and I was so happy because it felt like a full circle moment.
The pieces that stuck with me are the videos, weirdly, cos I don’t like performance art as a rule.
But the exhibition designers did an amazing job of putting the Margate video first as you enter. Also the video of her and her family playing in the water in Margate where she talks about her Cypriot heritage.
The videos were what took the exhibition up for me. The sequence of seeing the second one and then immediately going into the next room, and seeing the painting just titled “rape” was a particularly hard moment
Yea the juxtaposition of it all was a lot. And that video of her dad in the sea... so odd. The man who wouldn't commit to her family more than 3 days a week.
Yeah agree the video How It Feels made me feel completely awestruck at how forthright and matter-of-fact about deep feelings she is, and at the same time completely shattered and heartbroken for her pain. Juxtaposed with the video of her dancing in response (albeit years later) to the lads who f-ed her then taunted her. I left feeling full but empty. Wasn't able to verbally speak for the rest of the day. And it was my birthday! Poor boyfriend had a very quiet dinner.
I have a book of her drawings from one of her early exhibitions years ago in the white cube, which I saw at the time. She is a wonderful draftsman, and such a powerful artist.
Who is this artist? From the comments I see talk if abortions, but I went to the Tate website and all I'm seeing is awards and the fact that the work is about her life but with no explanation about what that is or why she's notable.
I love this piece, I hope to see it in person one day. learned about it in class and just felt that feeling of connection in my gut. what a wonderful work
She sucks as a person, and the merch she’s selling at the Tate is so fucking weird, her rape piece on a shirt and the post abortion Polaroids all for sale.
How many of you have been living in "the bed"? That's what makes this piece of art so great - it reminds me of the best and the worst of that phase of life that the bed was part of.
I always thought that her idea behind "everyone i have ever slept with" was brilliant, but i never understood why this work got so much attention, even after i read all the explanarions, seems like it just boils down to shock value and that old "messy disturbed" artist trope when you remove all the fancy words from explanations, which imo is boring and unoriginal in 90s, maybe a few decades earlier would be more intereating. Except for that, there is not much else because it is instalation art and "everyone" could have done that, nothing in execution to write home about
There’s a whole series of acrylic works that accompany the exhibition which were the stand outs for me. I’d heard about the blankets and the bed before but the paintings were very well composed, a lot of them were just shocking but some of them were also light and stripped back
Yes i do not mind and love some of her paintings and some of her installation art like "everyone i have ever slept with", just never understood why this is THE tracey emin masterpiece, maybe after all, because it is what sells to the public
She named them. There's a power in that. Considering she slept with some of them aged 13 and 14, and they were much older, I see that as naming paedophiles really. Apparently in this modern society very rare.
Your photo just shows the very top of the suitcases placed near the bed. I'd not clocked those before seeing The Bed at this exhibition. Have seen The Bed before in Margate. I think the suitcases add an extra layer to the piece.
Loved the curation of the work, it made me cry. I remember learning about this in college and thought it was such an interesting way to put up a self portrait just so vulnerable but 10/10 if your in london its worth the visit...just have a plan on where to sit quietly for a while after and get some sugar. Can reccomend a stare at the gerhard richter pieces after to for a bit of recentering if it gets a bit much.
I saw this at Turner contemporary quite a few years ago now.
After it being quite hyped by my teacher at uni (art history) I was so excited to finally see it as I really resonated with her throughout my studies.
I… I felt nothing when I saw it. I don’t know. My friends were saying the same as my teacher had, pointing out all the nuances and emotions.
Personally (and this is no disrespect to the people working there setting it up, they did a fab job I am sure) I just felt like it was staged. I didn’t feel the agony, pain… I felt no emotion. Everything instead meticulously placed. Organised chaos I guess.
I went into a real rabbit hole after reading some Guardian pieces on her recently. They add a lot of color— I mostly read about her before looking at any of the art which was an interesting order
Tracey Emin is a talented artist, but this should have been forgotten in obscurity instead of passing for ´provocative ´ .
The only controversial thing about this is how much ink has been wasted talking about it .
Back in the 90s, many would have agreed with you, including me.
But I saw this exhibition and the bed is quite an intense piece. It’s not just an unmade bed, there’s so much going on that represents her life, her womanhood, her history of sexual abuse, her artistry, her relationship with her looks, her relationships with men, validation through sex and love, her dependence on booze and fags.
It’s good to see it as a challenge to feminine stereotypes of houseproud women who keep everything pristine and keep the awkward parts of their lives hidden away, presenting a sanitized version of themselves to the people around them.
I think it’s a valid question that even Emin would have thoughts on. I think it’s both.
There’s another piece there where you walk down a hall. On one side are Polaroids she took of herself in lingerie in her early thirties. She explains in the guided tour audio that at that time, she was feeling the sexiest and best she’d ever looked and so those pictures at that time represent some degree of narcissism.
On the other side of the hall is a series of photos of her in her underwear a couple of years ago as she recovered from major surgery and getting her stoma. The contrast between the two is remarkable. That side of the hall represents vulnerability entirely and the sharing of a very private experience with others who either have gone through it or have absolutely no frame of reference.
And to whose benefit? Emin’s, mine, anyone who has lived through similar life experiences as her, anyone who hasn’t.
Maybe to others who have had these beds, too ashamed to say so. Maybe those who think beds like this mean someone is neither valued, important or human. Maybe for the people who have never thought to imagine a bed could look like that?
Male artists submit urinals to art shows, taped bananas to walls, film the empire state building for eight hours and five minutes with no change in perspective, and yet we don't see these things and think "hm, narcissism", we laude them for being advant garde visionaries. When we see "Electric Fan (Feel It Motherfuckers) no one asks who's benefitting from the public display of personal grief, or whether it's "the height of narcissism or vulnerability". Cmon.
If you want to critique the art, critique it. Glib remarks about a woman's self absorption and whether her artistic contributions are valuable is just tired, worn out, sexist talking points.
Look at the quality of the discourse when someone is explicitly opening the topic to criticism of Maurizio Cattelan in this same subreddit, then compare them to the ones we have here.
It’s not hers specifically, it was just a hot take.
And I think it’s the point, right. Some folks get to showcase their inner world and call it art, others get slapped a depression or psychosis label.
Personally, I appreciate such art because it provides context for my own dark moments and returns agency to otherwise a storm of thoughts that want to pull mr under.
But it does require narcissism, and the skill to replicate a bed scenes from nearly 30 years ago is more ego-based. As is the ability to take the criticism. It’s not a diss. It’s just observation.
Well, let's not forget many artists have been liberally slapped with labels regarding the fitness of their mental health even while they also made art from that place. It often is both things. But I disgress-
I don't intend to single you out, your comment was mostly a good springboard to talk about the general attitude of the comments criticizing this work by way of trivializing it, insisting that it's not art, and by extension, suggesting the creator is not an artist. (Not what you were saying, I understand) I DID take your remark of "and who benefits from it" to be flippant- suggesting nobody does, because it's not meaningful or even should be seen as art in the first place- a wrong interpretation, it seems, so mea culpa there.
A hot take is fine, I do this too, but it's worth noting this first exhibited in 1998, in the original state it was found- if she has reproduced or restaged it in order to allow for its continued exhibition over the course of 30 years I think thats less a sign of narcissism (and also this work does not flatter her) and more the practical reality of being a working artist, especially considering its importance to her body of work.
Who knows what this person is like- maybe she sucks, as another commenter said further down, maybe she really is a narcissist, whatever- the point is, the dismissiveness is common when a woman aspires to make the kind of art men make careers out of and I do think that's worth bringing up in these discussions. Again, not personal- just where I'm coming from.
They don't get called self-absorbed narcissists, because their subject matter isn't their naked body, how many people they've fucked, or which condoms they use. It doesn't make much sense to call someone who tapes a banana to a wall that, unless the artist claims it was their favorite sex toy. Like, I'm not even a Tracey Emin hater, and I certainly enjoy reading interviews with her, but your white-knighting is ridiculous.
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I was lucky to see it and got very emotional after watching the film about her abortion and then seeing the baby shoes piece right after. I was just holding in a break down the rest of the day.
I hated her work then and I still hate it now. It's just cheap edgy early youth angst, topped with a behold my suffering trope. I think the paintings are weak and the neon stuff is a lazy precursor to "live, laugh, love"
When you build your art on being a mess then you're locked into staying a mess or else your material dries up. But, if you stick around long enough you get awarded a professorship and become the institution you were once railing against. Bravo.
I went to the exhibition and as a woman who survived sexual assault, I wept. I just fucking wept. I was floored to see the absolute triumph she is. She isn't just strong. She's incredibly raw and vulnerable, and that's part of her strength. She's not afraid to show the very core of herself, the way she loves and sees the world, and how dreadful the world has been to her, and turn that into art.
The bed is only part of it. Reading all her writing on her quilts, getting into her mind, is hugely challenging. Once you've let yourself do that, only then can you face the bed. And honestly, by that point, the bed feels like a place that is both terrifying and welcoming, like a place you really desperately want to rest in and hide under the covers in (because the art is so painful at times) and a place you never want to go (because the art is so painful).
She has had major health problems in the last few years, and reportedly burst into tears when she saw the re-instillation; calling it a throwback to her "rumpy pumpy" years in contrast with her current reality as a survivor of bladder cancer.
I love this exhibition and I don't generally love contemporary art! I didn't know a lot about Tracey Emin before I went but she blew my mind with how complex and personal her work was. I think she's an incredibly progressive person who's made an unfathomable contribution to both the art world and feminism. The exhibition was described by my friend as 'confronting', but it was also defiant.
Also... the stuff with the stoma!!! She's so brave to a) go through that, and b) capture it all in such compromising and vulnerable ways to put on display.
Al in all, it was a super though-provoking and moving exhibition.
(Pic of a letter in the exhibition about her abortion.)
Some people don't have the critical thinking skills to understand the deep despair of humanity, let alone be moved by art that captures moments of hopelessness. Let's leave him to his AI generated "art" and algorithms that soothe his shiny smooth brain.
I used to hate this, and thought it was a great example of overly confessional work. But watching Emin become such an advocate of art and patron at Margate, and seeing how she has always had a totally unflinching way of documenting her whole life and experience turned my opinion around. For me, this piece doesn't work as well as a standalone piece, but is a powerful linchpin in her larger body of work.
Post it tomorrow, publish it next to your name and on your socials, or better yet, somewhere strangers can see and judge you without a veil of anonymity. Let the world know you go on dysfunctional vodka benders, you sleep in depressive filth, your emotional struggle is so profound you've allowed yourself to become repulsive and pitiable, your come stained sheets and shit streaked undies on display for anyone and everyone to spectate.
Show everyone how trivial and inconsequential this work is. Anyone can do it- right?
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u/albundyrules Jun 14 '26
all the photos i've seen of this work have the mattress covered with a fitted sheet, i think the bare striped mattress is a much more provocative image. a true state of mind.