~TRACEY EMIN/ONLY GOD KNOWS I’M GOOD

Tracey EMIN
PHOTO CREDIT: SCOTT DOUGLAS/COURTESY: LEHMANN MAUPIN

TRACEY EMIN – ‘ONLY GOD KNOWS I’M GOOD’
OPENING: THURS NOV 5 / 6-8 PM
SHOW RUNS: NOV 5 – DEC 19, 2009
LEHMANN MAUPIN – DOWNTOWN – 20l CHRYSTIE ST.

according to the press release – the exhibit is big – 53 works including a large-scale film projection, never-before-seen neons, and sculptures, and a collection of embroideries and monoprints. oh oh oh – they’re also shilling a big monograph – hope the show doesn’t tilt – commercial – as in, watch out for tanks, as in ‘tanking’.
on the other hand, the email invite photo, above, is great !! – so will be fun to see how it finally plays out.

Tracey & matt artnet
TRACEY EMIN & MATT COLLISHAW – at the opening of: TRACEY EMIN – ‘I Think It’s in My Head’, LEHMANN MAUPIN,
Sept 21, 2002.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH – ARTNET ARCHIVES

TRACEY EMIN holds some particular fondness for me – apart from her quilts & embroideries – her 2002 show at Lehmann Maupin – marked the very first moment my ‘art’ career took an abrupt turn into photo-journalism. yep, WALTER ROBINSON deemed my Emin pix – artnet worthy – and posted some of them, on what is still one of CHARLIE FINCH’S greatest essays: ‘EMINENT DOMAIN’ !!
yeah: check it out !!

besides being an exceptionally witty and, some thought, cruel at the time, piece for Charlie, let’s just say it was: right on ‘cutting’ – and, an inaugural posting for me, with special thanks to Charlie F. for brokering the deal with artnet – it also marked the unveiling of the ‘new’ REM KOLHAAS designed gallery space, for LEHMANN MAUPIN. which is still up and running, and still looking pretty good – on 26th St. in Chelsea.

UP-DATE – SAT NOV 7, 2009 – 9:33AM !!

and oh, that catalog, commercial tilt down ? – no way !! just check it out for yourself – way exquisite !!
so are the other 2 big TRACEY EMIN books on the gallery front desk !!

Tracey # 11
TRACEY EMIN – the show is great.
the opening was electric – it’s gonna hit the city like a gradual – tidal wave !!

Tracey # 1
she’s a bit hard to catch, even shy. hard to catch in motion. but, she’s the real deal.
she is . . . what a lot of other people – no names – wish they were.

Tracey # 2
wearing the key to somebody’s heart – maybe her own ?
TRACEY EMIN – in town for the opening of: ‘Only God Knows I’m Good’

Tracey # 3
TRACEY EMIN, ‘No not now’ – embroidery on light-weight cotton canvas.

tracey # 4

Tracey # 8
all the large pieces were stitched in v black thread – onto fine cotton ‘duck’ or canvas . . . which in turn, was itself hand-stitched or really, hemmed, together into larger pieces. in baby colors.

Tracey # 5

tracey # 6

Tracey # 7
. . . “no more fear”.

Tracey # 9
RACHEL LEHMANN, a founding partner of the gallery.
here with her husband, JEAN PIERRE LEHMANN, at the opening of TRACEY EMIN’s ‘Only God Knows I’m Good’.
LEHMANN MAUPIN DOWNTOWN.

Tracey # 12
DAVID MAUPIN, also a founding partner in the gallery.

tracey - Paul H-O
at the opening, PAUL H-O !!
who is this man ? he brought you the wildly entertaining: ‘GUEST OF CINDY SHERMAN’. his cinematic !! – first person !! account of his ‘relationship’ with Cindy Sherman, who he meet while on a ‘gallerybeat’ assignment !!
YES !! see: JAN ALBERT REVIEWS: ‘GUEST OF CINDY SHERMAN’ – directed by PAUL H-O & TOM DONAHUE !!
and yes, watch this: PAUL H-O on YouTube !!/’Guest of Cindy Sherman’ !!
gallerybeat was a streaming video art world ‘report’ on cable t.v. – back in the day – before there was the web !!
PAUL H-O is now bringing gallerybeat back – to the future – on the web !!
check out: gallerybeat !! to-day !!

Tracey # 25
several Brit pals of Tracey’s flew in from London, to help her celebrate: including,
TRICIA RONANE and TIGGY MACONOCHIE !!

Tracey # 26
Brit collector TIGGY MACONOCHIE – has several TRACEY EMIN pieces.

Trcaey # 15
back to the show – people are raving about the quilts, even people who don’t know a stitch about quilts and/or sewing !!

Tracey # 16
I wonder why ?!!
TRACEY EMIN, detail. black thread on thin cotton duck/canvas.

Tracey # 17
the LEHAMNN MAUPIN GALLERY/DOWNTOWN was put to its best use – ever.
upstairs on a thin ‘observer’ balcony – a TRACEY EMIN neon piece – casts its glow, and magic !!

Tracey Emin # 18
opening night gallery goers contemplate a new TRACEY EMIN neon piece, apparently spellbound
by both its message & color !!

TRacey Emin
detail, neon ‘poem’ – TRACEY EMIN

Tracey # 20
“Some Crazy Fucked Up/Dog Like Hell/That’s how it feels to/LIVE without LOVE”
TRACEY EMIN, neon wall poem.
TRACEY EMIN, ‘Only God Knows I’m Good’.
LEHAMANN MAUPIN DOWNTOWN

TRACEY # 21
across the room – “Only God Knows I’m Good” !!

Tracey # 22
everybody loved this piece.
TRACEY EMIN – ‘NOTHING TOUCHES’

tracey flower patches
detail, TRACEY EMIN – ‘NOTHING TOUCHES’.

Tracey nothing
the hand stitched calligraphy – was super fine. hands down. in all aspects of the word.
design & workmanship.

Tracey # 27
Hi Kate. Kate really liked this piece.

Trcaey is this a joke
TRACEY EMIN – ‘IS THIS A JOKE’
a lot of people can relate to that – though they might not admit it . . .

Tracey # 28
detail, TRACEY EMIN, ‘IS THIS a JOKE.’
or what ?!!? right on.

Tracey # 29
hand stitched detail. drips, of pain. upside down drips ? well, maybe more – spikes than drips ?
TAYLOR McKIMENS, look out !!

Tracey nothing
detail. the hand stitched calligraphy – was super fine.
hands down. in all aspects of the word.

Tracey # 30
yes, the ABSOLUTELY !! EXQUISITE !! catalog – TRACEY EMIN – ‘ONE THOUSAND DRAWINGS BY TRACEY EMIN’.
small in size, how did they do it – with glasscine-like thin-as-air pages !! stunning – fragile & weighty – all at the same time.
just like Ms. Emin, herself.

Tracey book cover
“SET OUT FROM LIVING INSIDE OF ME”.
talk about attention to detail.
the hard cover book front – had a different image than the book cover ‘wrapper’.
both were done in the manner of her monoprints.

TRACEY # 32
a random page – ‘ONE THOUSAND DRAWINGS BY TRACEY EMIN’.

Tracey # 33
TRACEY EMIN – “JOURNEY ACROSS AMERICA U.S.A 1994”.

Tracey # 34
another great hard cover book on display at the front desk.

Tracey # 35
TRACEY EMIN, ‘WORKS 1963 – 2006’. RIZZOLI.

TRACY # 36
from the book: a young TRACEY . . striking even back then.

TRACEY # 37
TRACEY EMIN, ’20 YEARS’ – NATIONAL GALLERIES of SCOTLAND, 2008.

Tracey RONALD SOSINSKI
RONALD SOSINSKI, just back from the FRIEZE ART FAIR, in London, told us he read Tracey’s autobiography,
‘STRANGELAND’ on the plane back home and said it was “really something.” and a page turner. no doubt.
too bad they didn’t have any copies available at the opening. but apparently it is available online through the TATE MUSEUM in London, and even on AMAZON !!
p.s. talking about strangelands, intensity, outrageous – and even, notorious behavior, and ships coming in – if the new PARIS NYC FRONT – i.e. VLADIMIR RESTOIN ROITFELD and ANDY VALMORBIDA !! can get that scumbag RICHARD HAMBELTON’s works to fly – can our beloved BASQUIAT FORGER – ALFREDO MARTINEZ – and his working guns, fake guns, and PRISON DRAWINGS on HAND-MADE PAPER – be far behind !!
trouble is – you can’t bring Alfredo anywhere. he is the world’s biggest liar, con, and thief !! kleptomanic is not the correct word – but it applies. plus, unlike Hambleton who has been hobbled by his rampant decades worth of crack use – Alfredo is drug free, and BIG !! and his pockets are overfilling with weapons, homemade knives, box cutters, the whole deal.
not to mention the seriously bad friends he picked up in prison. yes. he came out, worse then when he went in.
so, we figure – as long as we can keep him in CHINA – where he is an artist-in-residence !! (well at least they got the real thing & plus he likes Asian girls and Chinese food !!) we might have a chance.
so the word is: if Alfredo asks you if he can come back – the answer is: no.
bad time, recession. no food. there is no food in NYC. esp no food for street artists !!
but watch out, world. looks like the underdogs – will always – prevail, no doubt about it.

Tracey # 38
ok. so on that hopeful note !! we’ll close with a few of Tracey’s monoprints !!
TRACEY EMIN – “EVERY FUCKING TIME” !!

Tracey # 39
TRACEY EMIN – “DON’T KID YOURSELF TRACEY – YOUR SCARED SHITLESS”.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH