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Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995
1995

Tracey Emin’s “Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995” is a poignant and autobiographical work that gained significant attention and acclaim. Also known as "The Tent," this piece features a small, blue tent with the names of 102 people appliquéd onto its interior surfaces. These names represent individuals with whom Emin shared a bed, encompassing friends, family members, lovers, and even her aborted fetuses, making it a deeply personal and confessional piece.


Emin created this work in 1995, and it quickly became iconic within the contemporary art scene. It was first displayed at the "Minky Manky" show at the South London Gallery and later gained further recognition when exhibited at Charles Saatchi's "Sensation" exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1997. The tent’s interior is both intimate and revealing, inviting viewers into Emin's private world and challenging them to consider their preconceptions about intimacy and human connections (Wikipedia) (www.wikiart.org) .


The work exemplifies Emin's characteristic approach to art, which often blurs the lines between the personal and the universal. By exposing the details of her life, she encourages viewers to reflect on their own experiences and vulnerabilities. The tent, with its sewn names, stands as a testament to Emin’s exploration of identity, memory, and relationships, themes that are recurrent in her body of work (National Galleries) .


Tragically, “Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995” was destroyed in the 2004 Momart warehouse fire in East London, which also consumed works by other prominent artists. Despite the loss, Emin has stated that she has no intention of recreating the piece, emphasizing the irreplaceable nature of the original work and the specific emotional context in which it was created. This decision highlights the deeply personal nature of Emin’s art, which is often tied to specific moments and experiences in her life (Wikipedia) (www.wikiart.org) (National Galleries) .


“Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995” remains one of Tracey Emin’s most significant works, embodying her fearless approach to exploring and exposing the intimate aspects of her life through art. It continues to be celebrated for its honesty, vulnerability, and the way it challenges traditional notions of what constitutes art (www.wikiart.org) (National Galleries) .