Sixty A Day Woman
Signed Print

This print has an autobiographical quality which is typical of Emin’s work. The title of the work itself refers to the sizeable quantity of cigarettes Emin herself smoked in her youth, a habit she has since given up due to her diagnosis with bladder cancer. The ships that sail across the whirling composition are perhaps an homage to her coastal hometown, Margate. Amidst the painterly waves and flames that engulf the ships are recognisable structures, like old derelict gas dome towers and cranes. Perhaps these sightings and the choppy waters that surround them are a representation of the turbulent experiences Emin has faced throughout her life.

Around the border of this expressive and colourful work is a monochromatic border containing more nautical objects, a clock, a pair of scissors, bridges, and ladders. As Emin is renowned for creating diaristic works of art that use her own experiences as inspiration, we might assume that these are the objects and places that she used to navigate her eventful life.