It is sad to see Tracey Emin derided and lampooned again, for it is plain to see that she is the epitome of British art today, if not British art at its very best. In spite of her many detractors, Tracey is here to stay. A genius of her age, she has captured it in her work. All her faults, if there are indeed any, are those of the world she portrays. If her critics had the courage, they would give her the credit, and then turn their gaze to the world she so masterfully captures in her art. Let us not confuse our artists with our pitiful selves!

Addendum (January 17, 2003)

“I admire your irony,” wrote Charles Thomson in response to this piece sent to my “Let’s Make Art!” list. I hesitated for a few seconds with my reply, but then I wrote: “Irony works best when it is not intended.” In this case I indeed remained true to Billy Childish, who abhors irony in all its forms. And with good cause. Nevertheless, his comment on this piece was terse: “Rubbish.”