I Followed You to the End

Tracey Emin returns to White Cube Bermondsey with her highly anticipated solo exhibition, I Followed You to the End, running from September 19th to November 10th, 2024. This new body of work reflects on themes of love, loss, mortality, and rebirth, drawing from a transformative period in the artist’s life. Emin’s paintings and sculptures in this exhibition are marked by raw emotion, capturing the complexity of personal and physical experiences.

The exhibition’s title piece, I Followed You to the End (2024), features a solitary female figure framed by a storm of red and black, accompanied by a heartfelt reflection on love and vulnerability. Many of the works explore the fragility of the human body, including the diptych My Dead Body – A Trace of Life (2024), which delves into themes of illness and survival. Emin’s figures, often depicted in moments of deep introspection or pain, embody the emotional intensity that has become a hallmark of her work.

Sculptures are also central to this exhibition, with Ascension (2024), a bronze female torso, mounted on the wall, evoking a sense of both crucifixion and transcendence. The monumental sculpture I Followed You to the End (2024) anchors the gallery space with its imposing yet intimate presence, blurring the lines between invitation and vulnerability.

Throughout the exhibition, Emin’s use of color—carmine, deep blues, and ivory—mirrors the emotional turbulence within the works, while her spontaneous brushstrokes convey both urgency and reflection. The exhibition also features autobiographical elements, such as recurring motifs of cats, and scenes reminiscent of domestic spaces, adding layers of personal symbolism.