I Promise To Love You

Emin places her emotional life at the centre of her works, leading her to win the admiration of the art establishment and the affection of the public. Since the presentation of her bed installation, My Bed, exhibited in 1999 at the Tate Gallery in London, Emin’s work has received increasing public attention, earning her a vast list of art commissions. In the past twenty years, Emin has served the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Her Royal Highness the Queen - as seen in her Royals collection - and popular British broadcasting programmes. Amongst Emin’s international projects, I Promise To Love You remains sculpted in the public’s memory.

On the occasion of Times Square's Midnight’s Moment, the largest and longest-running digital public art program, Emin was asked to display a series of her bright neon artworks. I Promise To Love You, here presented in its printed format, was one of the neons Emin created exclusively for the occasion and was displayed next to Love Is What You Want in February 2013. Characteristic of Emin's manner, the text is rendered so that the neon tubes emulate her own handwriting. The written message, which powerfully conveys Emin’s confessional voice, is crowned by a neon heart - a feature distinctive of Emin’s neons, as visible in You Loved Me Like A Distant Star and My Heart Is With You Always. The artwork’s directness and simplicity, alongside its emotional poignancy, are emblematic of Emin’s confessional practice which has become iconic in Emin’s neon production.