Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963 - 1995 (1995), Tracey Emin
Tracey Emin is an infamous name in the modern art discourse and this piece is certainly part of that discussion. Often shortened to simply 'The Tent', this in the round sculpture is made up of a small nylon tent with applique patches embroidered into it, sharing the names of the people that Emin slept with between the time frames of the title. Emin herself considers this, along with 'My Bed', to be one of her key works and it is certainly one of the most influential in the way that it guides the viewer through ideas of femininity and sexuality.
The piece exists to subvert expectations, leading the audience down a false assumption relating to its theme with the title and the sexual euphemism of 'slept with', and then swiftly subverts this by redefining the expression in an innocent way. Emin as good as encourages her audience to judge her, exploiting the taboo of feminine sexuality, before then forcing them to revaluate their own views, making them consider why their immediate response was sexual. She forces them to confront their own expectations and prejudices, the list within the tent containing not just intimate partners but family members, close friends and even two unnamed foetuses.
Emin uses the piece to explore femininity as well as sexuality, the combination of the thin fabric of the tent and the use of embroidery reinforcing ideas of delicacy and vulnerability, while simultaneously being championed by their use in a stand against female shame. The use of the tent also creates a fragile sense of protection, described as resembling a childhood blanket fort or even the womb itself. Emin encouraged her viewers to sit inside the tent, surrounding themselves with her personal history, an autobiographical narrative of her journey through intimacy and love.
photo - Wikipedia
