Provocation Through Art

Visual Arts HL Provocation and vision of women through art Provocation has had a lot of influence through the history of art, creating various scandals, shining light on critical issues in the world and acting as a movement and progression in the way the audience sees things. According to Oxford dictionary, the definition of provocation is a certain action or speech that makes someone angry, or the action of arousing sexual desire or interest, especially on purpose. Usually, the agenda of artists that use provocation in their artwork is to raise a different look on the world, shake standards and norms, to transgress taboos and to allow the entire society to evolve and change. Provocation can be viewed in different ways, and may be offensive

She works with monoprints, painting, photography, neon, fabric, found objects, installation, film and sculpture. She is thought to be Britain’s most controversial artist who explores emotion and intimacy through exhibiting the most private parts of her personality. Through this, she creates a sense of intimacy with her audience. She has made it her trademark to use private details in her work, such as exhibiting photos of a packet of cigarettes that her uncle was holding when he died in a car crash, her messy bed with alcohol bottles and stained sheets which is one of her famous works, and making a tent with the names of people she has been sexually intimate with sown into the fabric of the

While Picasso and Mutu’s work is more subtle, Emin has no shame in sharing her inner world with its most embarrassing details, as well as exposing her vulnerability. The reason for this could be the artists’ cultural background, as Emin was born into a more progressive environment. Picasso faced the risk of not being able to showcase his work considering public disagreement due to the idyllic style of art that was popular in his era, and Mutu illustrates more problematic and deep issues relating to her culture which takes exploring several layers of meaning in contrast to Emin’s work which is quite upfront and easy to react to from the first glance. Another reason for Emin’s explicit nature could trace back to her personal experiences as a child and a teenager, resulting in emotional scarring.
Due to Tracey Emin’s way of expression, her artworks impacted me the most. I was also greatly fascinated by her neon installations, with personal writings hanging up for everyone to see in her exhibitions. The rooms are usually dark so the audience can clearly see what is written and interpret it. Even though the atmosphere of the installation is reminiscent of a red light district, it is fascinating to see how an artist is not afraid to get so personal through their work despite