Conceptual

Although conceptual art has overtaken figuration (art which attempts to represent something in the physical world) in terms of fashionability, the self-portrait has not been ignored by the leading artists within the movement. In fact self-portraits made under the conceptual banner can be even more frank and revelatory than their figurative counterparts. Although not necessarily thought of as self-portraits in the traditional sense, works which may at first appear abstract and inaccessible can contain an autobiographical content if not an actual physical likeness. For example, the work ‘Bed’ by Tracey Emin, featuring an installation recreating the artists bedroom complete with unwashed plates, cigarette butts and dirty laundry, offers us more of an insight into the life and mind of the artist than a likeness of her face would provide.

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