The Dancer Barberina / 1920

The Unknown Dancer / 1929

Why I Never Became a Dancer / 1995

Emin uses her emotional life as the source and subject matter of her art. This takes the form of narrative or documentation of traumatic events such as the death of a family member or close friend, her rape and her abortions, coupled with the direct expression of such feelings as love, hate, anger, fear and desire. By sharing thoughts and feelings of the type for which people are generally made to feel ashamed, Emin taps into collective experience in an affirmative way.

A Belly Dancer / 1905

Erotic dance performed by an unknown female dancer.

The Elephant Dancer / 2018

Everyone has childhood memories of a zoo. The 1950s were a paradise with monkeys riding bicycles and lions jumping through rings of fire. Animals of today are placed in an artificial, ‘virtual’ natural environment, and are subjugated as ‘humanised’ animals. They lose their natural habits and become physically and mentally warped. As we see elephants dancing, does this signify happiness, anxiety, or a bottomless pit?

Charley Colms / 1912

Jimmy Rudge, chief of the infamous Gang "Jacks of Spades", kidnaps the Marquis d'Harcier and passes himself off as him. The impostor held large parties at his castle, in order to rob the invited guests. Charley Colms, a quirky private detective, gets hired to unmask the Marquis as a fake.