Neon Art: Symbolism In Art By Tracey Emin

For most of people, neon is considered as a commercial material. Neon reminds me of my hometown, Seoul, a city that never sleeps. When the sun goes down, neon signs light Seoul’s streets by ones and twos. Nowadays, I can easily find out neon arts not only on the streets, but also in galleries or in museums. In this essay, I’d like to focus on its function in an artwork by Tracey Emin.

Before I start to talk about the neon artwork, I want to briefly examine the definition of neon. What is neon? “Neon is a chemical element. It is a gas that does not react with anything and that shines with a bright light when electricity is passed through it.” (Hornby et al). The history of neon is not that long. According to Ramsay and Travers, it was discovered in 1898 by the British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers in London while they were studying the characteristics of Argon and Helium. From 1902, it has industrially produced by a French inventor, Georges Claude. He
Tracey Emin is British artist born on July 3, 1963. She is famous for her confessional artworks. At her first exhibition, My Major Retrospective 1982-1992 (1994), at White Cube, London, she displayed various personal items such as letters to her family and boyfriends, diaries and so on (Fanthome 227). Her works contain herself and her identity. Even the content of the works are socially undesirable and painful to reveal to the world, she accepts it as part of her life. Through art, she overcomes her traumatic past such as being raped at age of 13 instead of concealing it (Murray 1663). Here comes the first connection between the neon and her work. When neon is used as neon signs, it brightens the darkness during the night. Likewise, art eliminates Emin’s shadowy past. By saying alone that “Be Faithful to your dreams”, she encourages herself and hold on her