Sad Shower in New York 1995

Here, Tracey Emin gives us a glimpse of a moment, captured with what looks like a simple black pen on paper. There’s a real sense of immediacy, a quick sketch that feels incredibly raw and vulnerable, right? The lines are thin, almost hesitant, but they manage to convey so much. Look at how the showerhead is just a few scribbled circles and lines, yet you instantly recognize it. And the figure, standing under the water, seems to be shrinking. The water itself, rendered as a series of vertical dashes, feels relentless, unforgiving. Emin’s mark-making isn’t about perfection or detail; it’s about capturing a feeling, a mood. This reminds me a bit of Egon Schiele’s drawings, that same kind of unflinching honesty. Ultimately, it’s this vulnerability that makes Emin’s work so compelling; she’s not afraid to show us the messy, uncomfortable parts of being human.