Margate’s Tracey Emin receives damehood in King’s Birthday Honours
Tracey Emin's My Bed installation was showcased in 2017.
Tracey Emin from Margate has been bestowed the title of Dame in the Birthday Honours awarded by the King.
The artist from Margate has been bestowed the title of Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire as an accolade.
Last night, the Cabinet Office released HM The King's Birthday Honours List 2024, which includes 130 individuals from the South East who have received honours. She is one of them.
Emin made her mark in the '90s as part of the Young British Artists group with her bold and provocative artwork. One of her well-known works was a tent covered in patches that listed the names of all the people she had ever slept with from 1963 to 1995. She also gained recognition for her piece My Bed, which was nominated for the Turner Prize. The work was a replica of her own unmade bed, complete with rumpled sheets, used condoms, empty vodka bottles, and a pregnancy test, all of which were leftovers from a wild four-day party.
She purchased a 30,000-square-foot area in the Thanet Press building located in Margate during January of 2017. Following this purchase, she fashioned a flat and studios within the space.
Last year, the artist was diagnosed with bladder cancer and had surgery in the Summer. As a result, several of her female reproductive organs were removed, and she now carries a stoma bag. However, she is currently in remission from the cancer.
She became an Honorary Freewoman of Margate in 2022 in honor of her worldwide recognition as an artist and her contribution to the cultural and physical state of Margate.
In the next year, Tracey Karima Emin founded TKE Studios and an artist residency program in Margate. This was another addition to her expanding list of investments in the town, which also consists of the former Margate Constitutional Club and One Union Crescent.
In November 2021, the six-decade-old individual acquired a bathhouse from the Edwardian era, which was also previously used as a nursery for young children and a mortuary. The property was purchased at a cost of £750,000. Subsequently, there was a need to carry out extensive renovations and make improvements to the facility, leading to expenses of over £1million.
In addition, she is the owner of The Brown Jug tavern located in the town of Broadstairs.
People from the Southeast make up 13% of all the individuals receiving honors this year.
Michelle Weltman, from Birchington, has received an accolade in the awards – she has been granted the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her outstanding services to the Disability Sports industry, as well as her contributions to the LGBTQI Sporting community in London through her voluntary and charitable efforts.
It is possible for anyone to suggest someone for an award. If there is someone in your life that has accomplished remarkable feats that you think ought to be acknowledged, you can submit their name at https://www.gov.uk/honours.
