My Bed

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My Bed is a work by the British artist Tracey Emin. It was first exhibited at the Tate Gallery in 1999 as one of the shortlisted works for the Turner Prize.

There was considerable media furore about this, particularly as the sheets of the bed were stained yellow with semen. Furthermore, the floor surrounding it had items from her room such as condoms, a pair of knickers with period stains and other detritus including a pair of slippers. The bed was presented as it had been when Emin had stayed in it for several days, feeling suicidal because of relationship difficulties.

Two performance artists, Yuan Chai and Jian Jun Xi, jumped onto the bed with bare torsos in order to "improve" the work, which they thought had not gone far enough. They called their performance Two Naked Men Jump Into Tracey's Bed. The men managed to stay on the bed for around fifteen minutes, to applause from the crowd, before being apprehended by security guards. The artists were detained but no further action was taken.

[edit] External links

• Photograph of My Bed at The Saatchi Gallery