Tate Modern has recently announced the opening of ‘A Second Life,’ the largest-ever exhibition dedicated to the artistic genius of Tracey Emin. Running from February 26 through August 30, 2026, the exhibition will bring together over 90 works, showcasing both her most notable pieces and never-before-seen works, highlighting the voice that has transformed autobiography in art.
Tracey Emin is widely acclaimed for her confessional art and unapologetic approach to self-expression. She first gained prominence in the 1990s as part of the legendary Young British Artists movement. The upcoming exhibition will present a multi-medium showcase spanning four decades of her artistic practice, tracing her “first” and second life following illness and surgery, and the profound expressions of honesty, vulnerability, and intimacy that weave through both.
The exhibition will focus on two key pieces: the three-week performance ‘Exorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made’ (1996) and the Turner Prize-nominated installation ‘My Bed’ (1998). Additional standout works will explore themes of memory, place, and her longstanding connection to Margate, where she currently resides and runs her own artist residency.
Following her diagnosis of bladder cancer in 2020, Emin has remained candid in her exploration of survival and the body as a site of passion and pain. ‘A Second Life’ will also feature her 2024 work, ‘Ascension,’ which delves into her relationship with her body after undergoing numerous surgeries, alongside stills from a new documentary that intimately depicts the realities of illness and healing.
In a recent press statement, Emin remarked, ‘I feel this show…will be a benchmark for me. A moment in my life when I look back and go forward. A true celebration of living.’