Press release -
TRACEY EMIN/EDVARD MUNCH EXHIBITION: THE LONELINESS OF THE SOUL
The Tracey Emin/Edvard Munch exhibition: The Loneliness of the Soul to open in its original large scale format at MUNCH 22 October 2021
Link to images here
Tracey Emin (born 1963) is one of the UK’s most celebrated and controversial contemporary artists. In her first major Nordic exhibition, the artist shows how Edvard Munch has influenced and shaped her work over several decades.
As early as 1998 Emin referenced Edvard Munch in both the title and location of the film work HOMAGE TO EDVARD MUNCH AND ALL MY DEAD CHILDREN, which opens with a naked Emin curled in a foetal position on a wooden jetty on the edge of the Oslo Fjord. This film is the starting point for the exhibition that offers an insight into her wide-ranging artistic practice and fascination with Munch.
Curated by MUNCH curator Kari J. Brandtzæg. In the catalogue essay Brandtzæg writes:” The Loneliness of the Soul addresses the themes of loneliness, sexuality and ageing – taboos that Munch and Emin explore from the vantage points of different gender and historic times”. Linked by a shared intimacy to their subject matter and a self-confessional drive.
The dialogue between the two artists presents a moving exploration of love, grief, loss and isolation, highlighting Munch’s relevance for leading artists working today. “As an artist Munch has had the biggest effect on me, throughout the whole of my life”, Emin has commented.
The exhibition features six paintings and ten watercolours carefully selected by Emin from MUNCH’s rich collection, installed alongside her own paintings, sculptures, neons and the textile It Always Hurts (2005). It also features new paintings created specifically for the exhibition, including I Am the Last of My Kind(2019). The exhibition also includes the iconic My Bed (1998).
The exhibition is organised by MUNCH in collaboration with Tracey Emin Studio.
Initially a smaller version of the exhibition Emin/Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul was planned to open at The Royal Academy of Arts in London after the Oslo show November 2020, however due to the pandemic and building delays the exhibition was bought forward and opened firstly at the RA to critical acclaim.
Starts 22 October– ends 2 January 2022
Tracey Emin (short bio)
Tracey Emin was born in 1963 in London. She currently lives and works between London, the South of France, and Margate, UK.
Emin has exhibited extensively including major exhibitions at Musée d’Orsay, Paris (2019); Château La Coste, Aix-en-Provence, France (2017); Leopold Museum, Vienna (2015); Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami (2013); Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (2012); Turner Contemporary, Margate, UK (2012); Hayward Gallery, London (2011); Kunstmuseum Bern (2009); Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh (2008); Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Malaga, Spain (2008); Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (2003); and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2002).
In 2007 Emin represented Great Britain at the 52nd Venice Biennale and her installation My Bed has been included in ‘In Focus’ displays at Tate Britain with Francis Bacon (2015), Tate Liverpool with William Blake and also at Turner Contemporary, Margate alongside JMW Turner (2017).
In 2011, Emin was appointed Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, and in 2012 was made Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her contributions to the visual arts.
In 2018, Tracey Emin won an international competition for an outdoor artwork next to the new MUNCH with her large-scale bronze sculpture, The Mother. The 9-metre tall art work will be unveiled in Oslo in 2022.
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MUNCH is home to the world's largest collection of works by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. 22 October 2021, MUNCH will open in a brand new building on Oslo’s waterfront. The bespoke structure, designed by estudio Herreros, will house more than 26,000 works that Edvard Munch bequeathed to the City of Oslo. The museum also manages collections donated by Rolf Stenersen, Amaldus Nielsen and Ludvig Ravensberg.
The new museum will trace the artist’s profound influence both on modern art and on artists through to the present day. Alongside displays of iconic artworks from the renowned permanent collection, temporary exhibitions will show Edvard Munch’s lasting influence in his own contemporary society, as well as on today’s generation of artists.
Visitors will experience the highlights of Edvard Munch’s oeuvre, in parallel with a wide-ranging programme of cultural events and experiences for visitors of all ages. From its location in Bjørvika, with unparalleled views of the Oslo Fjord, the museum will offer an extensive program of art and cultural experiences across thirteen floors.
