Tracey Emin’s five pieces of wisdom

Tracey Emin was in Melbourne recently to deliver a talk as part of the NGV Triennial. The biggest takeaway from the world renowned artist? ‘I love art and I want to be happy.’
Live and in Conversation After-Hours: Tracey Emin hosted by the NGV leading up to the 2023 NGV Triennial. Photo: ArtsHub. Two figures sitting on the stage in a large auditorium. A projector is showing the words ‘Tracey Emin’ against pink neon phrases that form an artwork.

Content warning: this article makes reference to experiences of sexual assault, abortion and cancer.

British artist Tracey Emin is an icon for many – a textbook artist one is bound to come across during contemporary art courses. It was a rare treat to meet and hear from the famed artist on her unconventional path in the art world at a recent talk presented as part of the NGV Triennial in Melbourne.

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Celina Lei is an arts writer and editor at ArtsHub. She acquired her M.A in Art, Law and Business in New York with a B.A. in Art History and Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. She has previously worked across global art hubs in Beijing, Hong Kong and New York in both the commercial art sector and art criticism. She took part in drafting NAVA’s revised Code of Practice - Art Fairs and was the project manager of ArtsHub’s diverse writers initiative, Amplify Collective. Celina is based in Naarm/Melbourne.