Birds

Emin was born in the far south of London in 1963. She grew up in the midst of a blooming technicolour age referred to as ‘The Swinging Sixties’. Her adolescent years were characterised by a youth-driven cultural revolution built on modern and self-indulgent ways of thinking.

Emin’s outstanding artistry is defined by her innate ability to convey emotion through the process of drawing. Her works on paper are technically accomplished and manifest her devotion to her craft. She is an expressionist whose jagged contours and rapid lines convey our anxiety at being human when confronted with the complexities of life. What better creature to envelop all of these touchstones than a bird.

Emin's Birds from 2011 is a witty illustrated love letter. Preceding the design of Believe In Extraordinary from 2015, this print depicts a line drawing in blue ink of two birds kissing. They sit perched on an elderflower bush beneath the words, ‘You inspire me with Your determination And I Love You’. Emin dedicated this work to the strength and determination of all Paralympics alike. The birds, a motif that Emin frequently uses, symbolise freedom and vigour, whilst the use of the text expresses her immense admiration of human resilience.