Tracey Emin says “racist behaviour” is dividing the UK
Tracey Emin has revealed that, though she is proud to be British, she is hyper-aware that “jingoistic, racist, bigoted behaviour” is dividing the country.
Emin’s new major exhibition, Second Life, is set to open at the Tate Modern this week. This is a huge milestone in the 62-year-old’s career.
Speaking at the press preview of the exhibition on February 25th, the artist turned her attention towards one gallery of the exhibition, which pays homage to her multicultural heritage.
Importantly, Emin’s father, Enver, was a Turkish Cypriot. His grandfather was Sudanese and was enslaved during the Ottoman Empire. Her mother has Romanichal roots.
Reflecting on this influence in her work, she shared, “My whole background is so British, everything about me is what being British is—it’s a bit of this, a bit of that. And I’m very proud of it, I’m so proud to be British. I love lots of it.”
However, as per The Art Newspaper, the artist added, “But what I don’t like is jingoistic, racist, bigoted behaviour that is dividing our country.”
She gestured toward Reform party leader Nigel Farage, who has twice tried to rule Margate, where Emin returned to permanently in 2020. She noted, “He didn’t get in because there are a lot of people there who are a lot more intelligent and a lot more politically astute than people imagine.”
Though Margate is a “tough” place to live, Emin added, “Art is really changing the landscape. More businesses are opening—there are vintage shops, restaurants, little cafes, art galleries, boutiques, you name it.”
These comments echo her words in a recent interview with The Guardian, in which she staunchly opposed the far-right. “If the far right get in in this country, we are doomed. And everybody has to understand the significance of it,” she shared.
She added at the time, “We’ve got a country now that’s bordering on neo-Nazi rhetoric, which I find really abhorrent.”
Fans of Emin’s work can view her new exhibition, Second Life, at the Tate Modern from February 27th.
