I do not expect

Tracey Emin CBE, RA is perhaps best known for two very intimate works she created in the 1990s - 'Everyone I have ever slept with 1963–1995' 1995, a tent appliquéd with the names of literally every person (102 names) Emin had shared a bed with up to the time of its creation, and 'My bed' 1998 a replication of her dirty, unmade bed as it appeared after a mini nervous breakdown when Emin didn’t get out of bed for 4 days, the latter of which was nominated for the 1999 Turner Prize.

Emin’s art is very personal, often autobiographical and confrontational, but also humorous. She draws on her own experiences and life events as inspiration for works ranging from drawing, printmaking, painting, film, photography, sculpture and installations to neon and needlework.

Emin frequently works with fabric in the form of appliqués. She creates these works from fabric she has collected, often from her childhood and from family and friends. Her hand-appliquéd quilts spell out, and at times shout textual messages, recalling periods in her life. Typically they are made from an old wool blanket, full of her signature misspellings and hemmed with blanket stitch. Her first quilt 'Hotel International' created in 1993 displays her birthday details, names of family members, and places Emin lived during her childhood.

For 'I do not expect' Emin has used an old pink blanket patchworked with multiple coloured and floral fabrics. The text is composed of fabric letters cut out and individually stitched to the blanket. The text reads: I DO NOT EXPECT TO BE A MOTHER BUT I DO EXPECT TO DIE ALONE/ IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS/ M M M CALL ME/ SHE WENT OUT LIKE A 40 WATT BULB/ MY BRAINS ALL SPLIT UP/ OK/ LOVE TO THE END/ I WANT IT BACK – THAT GIRL OF 17

In a 2015 interview with BBC’s Stephen Sackur, Emin said that the title 'I do not expect' is not negative it’s sadly a state of fact.