Tate Liverpool Gallery Visit

Tracey Emin's 'my bed' self-portrait an installation piece that provides a uncensored view in to Emin's life. From stepping into the room you were surrounded by this overwhelming feeling that you were encroaching on someones personal space. It was a very intimate experience and the silence of the room felt deafening. Each of the objects that were displayed with the bed, had their own individual meaning. Some of the objects felt so private that it seemed wrong to be looking at them in such a public setting. Many have deemed this piece to be controversial because of this. However if the piece was not allowed to be displayed then we would be restricting artistic freedom and sending a message that people are not allowed to express themselves. When I study this piece I am overcome by and overwhelming feeling of sadness and loneliness. Objects like the stuffed dog remind of childhood but then this is transformed into a feeling Emin's innocence has been lost. The distressed bed gives the impression that someone had just left the bed however this is contradicted by the slippers that have been left by the bed. This suggests that Emin is in a state of purgatory, trapped between two states of being.