Comparing Tracey Emin and Louise Bourgeois
Throughout different units this year I have looked at both these artists, Emin more than Bourgeois. However they have very similar reasons for making art and Emin has a admiration for Bourgeois, seen in these videos
Women without secrets. This is the main reason I enjoy these two strong female artists. And they inspired me to dig into my own past in hope that I can understand it more.
One thing which took my fascination is the different way that they work but ultimately use their art to express past trauma and experience. One more literal than the other. One more sculptural and symbolic. one more directly open. But both honest in there intention.
The main reason I looked at these artists is the way in which they used their art as a sort of cathartic exercise. Getting out and expelling any past pain or memories through art. both quite temperamental and outspoken. And not shying away from what they are doing.
My own interest was in Emin's use of words in her work. I read that she read her own diaries from a young age and turned them into work through memories. Not accurate reconstructions but in her style in her way. I also know that Bourgois used her diaries as a way to write poetry and draw.
(My Bed)
I want to compare Emin's My Bed and Bourgeois' Red Room (Child). Emins bed was made out of a breakdown where she spent days asleep in her bed in and out. She got up for water and came back and saw the destruction left behind. a part of her life where she was depressed and this was created in this state of despair. And I can see bits of myself in it. That state of mind you get into where you just cant get out of bed. you don't want to see anyone or deal with life. remains of tissue, cigarettes and alcohol which would all be consumed form bed. She says that putting the bed together now is quite strange as its like a time capsule of that particular time, so its like she is revisiting that moment over and over. I can relate in the way I am reliving feelings through writing them out. in order to remember you take yourself back through every step. I remember seeing her Bed for the first time at high school and thinking oh wow anyone can do that. Conceptual art wasn't a bit topic at school so I never gave it much thought. I was taught it was about drawing and painting like many other students. But as I got older and had my own experiences I can appreciate what this is. And see past the mess infront of me and see it as a symbol for something that many people not just women have gone through. My version was more having this big bed and half of it I slept on while the other half had rubbish all over it. books. plates. tobacco. tissues. cds.... every bed will vary. When I feel unwell my bedside table looks like a junk shop so it can happen anytime. it captures a state of mind which cant be seen, only through these objects can you tell what's going on.
(Red Room (child))
Bourgeois' Red Room (child) I thought was pretty reminiscent with Emin's as the contents are all associated with her past. The colour red stands for blood, violence, danger, shame, jealousy, malevolence and guilt. The objects consist of spindles and needles, the family business. Small hands and big hands together, two mittens with the words 'me' and 'you' in French, symbolise that longing for security. Other items all red in colour around the space creating a thought provoking composition. You wonder what each item must mean to her. The space is protected by an obstruction at the door as you peer inside. This reinforces that feeling that you are looking inside someone else's world. One you aren't particularly welcome to see. I read an opinion that it is a view of her childhood with an adult interpretation. So they aren't easily seen through a crack in the door, the colour helps. So there are two elements at play. This set up isn't really my thing but I like the reasoning behind it. The idea that these are all elements of her past put together in an unorganised manner just like when you try to recollect memories. They don't all sit in order or in accurate form or colour. The red obviously symbolises pain she feels for her past. something she has experienced. It is hard to make out every single object but they have a reason to be there and they don't all have to be justified as to why. I thought about this in terms of my own work. Finding keepsakes I had kept and placing them in my exhibition space. Being able to justify them for evaluation sake but not fully explaining them to the viewer. Carefully considering what that item brings to the space is important though. It is am actual artefact I've held onto for years or that I don't have the original item but have placed something similar in its place. I like this idea of keeping the colours similar. I was looking at a monochrome colour scheme in my space with just colour added to the textile. That moment of realisation bringing colour back to me. like those memories played out like a black and white movie.
Comparing these two is more than just about aesthetics. The way they recollect a time which was probably quite painful to remember and reassemble. I can relate to this really well. I'm trying to reconstruct memories of my own through words and textile and feel like I need to get a good balance between being too honest and straight forward and manipulation of the textiles to make it less obvious and more about the colours and the way I hand the piece. Do I twist is and tighten that part until its unreadable and them make is looser towards the far end where the colour lives and it becomes more clear? these are questions I'm asking myself even as I make my final piece.
(Super Drunk Bitch)
(Pysco Slut)
I want to look at Emin's Quilts as they were the main catalyst behind my use of words in my work and the honest and rawness coming through. I loved how she used the medium of textiles to put across these dialogues of her truth. Through these pieces she brought textiles into the art world and into galleries which would consider textile as an inferior media. Each is covered in words. cut out from fabrics and stuck down as she spelled them so the spelling mistakes are left in. Another layer of honesty which you see in her paintings. She even scores out words like she does in her drawings and paintings. Leaving in the flaw. I like to think if I made a mistake I would do the same but there is a control freak in me that probably wouldn't. 'Pysco' is noticeably You can tell the content of the piece and interpret it without that being an issue. Each seems to have a theme. the top tells of a night out gone wrong or messy. Being that person who takes it too far and wakes up feeling remorse for the night before. "you ruined everything". The bottom one is more about a reflection on a relationship. Not bowing to a man, making it appear as if you are perfect all the time. It's not that simple.
(Ode A'Loubli)
Bourgeois' Ode A L'Oubli' or Ode to Forgetting roughly translated. Is a textile book made from fabric from her own clothing. A mixture of words and shapes adorn each page. She often says that she doesn't waste time seeking out memories
"to reminisce and woolgather is negative. you have to differentiate between memories. are you going to them or are they coming to you? If you are going to them, you are wasting time. if they come to you they are seeds for sculpture"
This is a method I have tried to adopt whilst writing in my journal. triggers happen quite easily. And I can't keep up with my own thoughts. I'm not so interested in the construction of the book but the idea. This is part of her. Her past. Each piece of fabric has a story. like when you go through your wardrobe you sometimes think about when you wore something. Objects hold as much memory as your mind, if not more due to the physical presence of that object. it cant be pushed away. She seems to have repurposed her fabrics into an object which reflects her feelings. was she repurposing or compacting those fabrics into memories? Were they taking up unnecessary space?
(Ode A'Loubli)
This page really stuck with me. Its a book of few words but I related to it a lot. It pretty much summed up what I feel about my own memories. Particularly after discovering my old diaries.
(Ode A'Loubli)
"the returned of the repressed" hinting at those feelings that have been hidden all this time. Back again. I feel as if this book has many layers to it both literally and visually. I like the idea of making an object from personal materials. Harnessing those memories to create something that you can touch and hold. This made me think about making a mini version of my final piece. One more readable but not for anyone to actually read. Not fully. Something compact to store which the scale of my large piece doesn't allow.
Both very different textile techniques and delivery. But similar in motive that they both conjure up memories. One is more subtle and physically delivers the message of memories. The other literally spells them out even with mistakes. Both gave me the motivation to pursue my own memories with my own balance of honesty.
How much I share is up to me. And I shouldn't sacrifice my own mental health to seek it out. But through writing memories and feelings with frustration and anger and tears, I found a kind of peace. I confronted things I had avoided for as long as I can remember they happened and it wasn't healthy. I feel that when I am making work I feel as if I am letting go of something. It wont fully erase that experience but it will appease those feelings that made me hate myself so much or feel so undeserving of anything. Love. Happiness. Good things.
sources
LB
Book: Louise Bourgeois by Ann Coxon
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/bourgeois-louise/life-and-legacy/#nav
https://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2013/02/18/louise-bourgeois-a-flashback-of-something-that-never-existed/
TE
Book: The Art of Tracey Emin (a curation of different essays on Emin by different people)
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/tracey-emin-2590/somethings-wrong
https://www.jessicahemmings.com/tracey-emin-stitching-extreme/
Women without secrets. This is the main reason I enjoy these two strong female artists. And they inspired me to dig into my own past in hope that I can understand it more.
One thing which took my fascination is the different way that they work but ultimately use their art to express past trauma and experience. One more literal than the other. One more sculptural and symbolic. one more directly open. But both honest in there intention.
The main reason I looked at these artists is the way in which they used their art as a sort of cathartic exercise. Getting out and expelling any past pain or memories through art. both quite temperamental and outspoken. And not shying away from what they are doing.
My own interest was in Emin's use of words in her work. I read that she read her own diaries from a young age and turned them into work through memories. Not accurate reconstructions but in her style in her way. I also know that Bourgois used her diaries as a way to write poetry and draw.
I want to compare Emin's My Bed and Bourgeois' Red Room (Child). Emins bed was made out of a breakdown where she spent days asleep in her bed in and out. She got up for water and came back and saw the destruction left behind. a part of her life where she was depressed and this was created in this state of despair. And I can see bits of myself in it. That state of mind you get into where you just cant get out of bed. you don't want to see anyone or deal with life. remains of tissue, cigarettes and alcohol which would all be consumed form bed. She says that putting the bed together now is quite strange as its like a time capsule of that particular time, so its like she is revisiting that moment over and over. I can relate in the way I am reliving feelings through writing them out. in order to remember you take yourself back through every step. I remember seeing her Bed for the first time at high school and thinking oh wow anyone can do that. Conceptual art wasn't a bit topic at school so I never gave it much thought. I was taught it was about drawing and painting like many other students. But as I got older and had my own experiences I can appreciate what this is. And see past the mess infront of me and see it as a symbol for something that many people not just women have gone through. My version was more having this big bed and half of it I slept on while the other half had rubbish all over it. books. plates. tobacco. tissues. cds.... every bed will vary. When I feel unwell my bedside table looks like a junk shop so it can happen anytime. it captures a state of mind which cant be seen, only through these objects can you tell what's going on.
Bourgeois' Red Room (child) I thought was pretty reminiscent with Emin's as the contents are all associated with her past. The colour red stands for blood, violence, danger, shame, jealousy, malevolence and guilt. The objects consist of spindles and needles, the family business. Small hands and big hands together, two mittens with the words 'me' and 'you' in French, symbolise that longing for security. Other items all red in colour around the space creating a thought provoking composition. You wonder what each item must mean to her. The space is protected by an obstruction at the door as you peer inside. This reinforces that feeling that you are looking inside someone else's world. One you aren't particularly welcome to see. I read an opinion that it is a view of her childhood with an adult interpretation. So they aren't easily seen through a crack in the door, the colour helps. So there are two elements at play. This set up isn't really my thing but I like the reasoning behind it. The idea that these are all elements of her past put together in an unorganised manner just like when you try to recollect memories. They don't all sit in order or in accurate form or colour. The red obviously symbolises pain she feels for her past. something she has experienced. It is hard to make out every single object but they have a reason to be there and they don't all have to be justified as to why. I thought about this in terms of my own work. Finding keepsakes I had kept and placing them in my exhibition space. Being able to justify them for evaluation sake but not fully explaining them to the viewer. Carefully considering what that item brings to the space is important though. It is am actual artefact I've held onto for years or that I don't have the original item but have placed something similar in its place. I like this idea of keeping the colours similar. I was looking at a monochrome colour scheme in my space with just colour added to the textile. That moment of realisation bringing colour back to me. like those memories played out like a black and white movie.
Comparing these two is more than just about aesthetics. The way they recollect a time which was probably quite painful to remember and reassemble. I can relate to this really well. I'm trying to reconstruct memories of my own through words and textile and feel like I need to get a good balance between being too honest and straight forward and manipulation of the textiles to make it less obvious and more about the colours and the way I hand the piece. Do I twist is and tighten that part until its unreadable and them make is looser towards the far end where the colour lives and it becomes more clear? these are questions I'm asking myself even as I make my final piece.
I want to look at Emin's Quilts as they were the main catalyst behind my use of words in my work and the honest and rawness coming through. I loved how she used the medium of textiles to put across these dialogues of her truth. Through these pieces she brought textiles into the art world and into galleries which would consider textile as an inferior media. Each is covered in words. cut out from fabrics and stuck down as she spelled them so the spelling mistakes are left in. Another layer of honesty which you see in her paintings. She even scores out words like she does in her drawings and paintings. Leaving in the flaw. I like to think if I made a mistake I would do the same but there is a control freak in me that probably wouldn't. 'Pysco' is noticeably You can tell the content of the piece and interpret it without that being an issue. Each seems to have a theme. the top tells of a night out gone wrong or messy. Being that person who takes it too far and wakes up feeling remorse for the night before. "you ruined everything". The bottom one is more about a reflection on a relationship. Not bowing to a man, making it appear as if you are perfect all the time. It's not that simple.
Bourgeois' Ode A L'Oubli' or Ode to Forgetting roughly translated. Is a textile book made from fabric from her own clothing. A mixture of words and shapes adorn each page. She often says that she doesn't waste time seeking out memories
"to reminisce and woolgather is negative. you have to differentiate between memories. are you going to them or are they coming to you? If you are going to them, you are wasting time. if they come to you they are seeds for sculpture"
This is a method I have tried to adopt whilst writing in my journal. triggers happen quite easily. And I can't keep up with my own thoughts. I'm not so interested in the construction of the book but the idea. This is part of her. Her past. Each piece of fabric has a story. like when you go through your wardrobe you sometimes think about when you wore something. Objects hold as much memory as your mind, if not more due to the physical presence of that object. it cant be pushed away. She seems to have repurposed her fabrics into an object which reflects her feelings. was she repurposing or compacting those fabrics into memories? Were they taking up unnecessary space?
This page really stuck with me. Its a book of few words but I related to it a lot. It pretty much summed up what I feel about my own memories. Particularly after discovering my old diaries.
"the returned of the repressed" hinting at those feelings that have been hidden all this time. Back again. I feel as if this book has many layers to it both literally and visually. I like the idea of making an object from personal materials. Harnessing those memories to create something that you can touch and hold. This made me think about making a mini version of my final piece. One more readable but not for anyone to actually read. Not fully. Something compact to store which the scale of my large piece doesn't allow.
Both very different textile techniques and delivery. But similar in motive that they both conjure up memories. One is more subtle and physically delivers the message of memories. The other literally spells them out even with mistakes. Both gave me the motivation to pursue my own memories with my own balance of honesty.
How much I share is up to me. And I shouldn't sacrifice my own mental health to seek it out. But through writing memories and feelings with frustration and anger and tears, I found a kind of peace. I confronted things I had avoided for as long as I can remember they happened and it wasn't healthy. I feel that when I am making work I feel as if I am letting go of something. It wont fully erase that experience but it will appease those feelings that made me hate myself so much or feel so undeserving of anything. Love. Happiness. Good things.
sources
LB
Book: Louise Bourgeois by Ann Coxon
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/bourgeois-louise/life-and-legacy/#nav
https://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2013/02/18/louise-bourgeois-a-flashback-of-something-that-never-existed/
TE
Book: The Art of Tracey Emin (a curation of different essays on Emin by different people)
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/tracey-emin-2590/somethings-wrong
https://www.jessicahemmings.com/tracey-emin-stitching-extreme/
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