British contemporary artist Tracey Emin is featuring a ritual performance titled “Exorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made” at the Tate Modern [1].
The inclusion of this work in the current exhibition provides a window into Emin's career-long exploration of personal trauma and psychological release. By presenting the ritual in a public gallery, the museum connects the artist's early experimental performances with her broader trajectory of transcendence and recovery.
Originally performed in 1996 [2], the piece served as an artistic exorcism of the final painting Emin had produced at that time [1]. The artist said the work was a ritual intended to release the emotional weight associated with the painting and to confront personal trauma [1].
The performance is a central element of the exhibition “Tracey Emin: A Second Life” currently on display in London [3]. The retrospective explores the intersection of trauma and transcendence, utilizing the 1996 ritual to illustrate how Emin uses art to process internal distress. The work reflects a period of her practice where performance and painting collided to create a visceral, cathartic experience.
Visitors can view the installation and related works at the Tate Modern through Aug. 31, 2026 [3]. The exhibition serves as a comprehensive look at Emin's evolution, moving from the provocative shocks of the Young British Artists era to a more reflective, mature examination of life and loss.
Emin's approach to the 1996 ritual emphasizes the belief that art can function as a tool for spiritual or emotional cleansing. By treating the act of painting and its subsequent "exorcism" as a formal process, she challenges the traditional boundary between the creation of an object and the performance of an emotion [1].
“An artistic exorcism of her final painting”
The highlighting of the 1996 performance within a 2026 retrospective underscores the shift in contemporary art toward valuing the process of psychological healing over the finished product. By framing a decades-old ritual as a cornerstone of 'A Second Life,' the Tate Modern validates performance art as a legitimate medium for documenting and overcoming trauma.
