Crossing Into Darkness
Curated by Dame Tracey Emin
Carl Freedman Gallery is proud to present ‘Crossing Into Darkness’, a group exhibition curated by Dame Tracey Emin.
Featuring works by David Altmejd, Georg Baselitz, Louise Bourgeois, Marlene Dumas, Tracey Emin, Laura Footes, Antony Gormley, Francisco Goya, Gilbert & George, Celia Hempton, Anselm Kiefer, Joline Kwakkenbos, Mark Manders, Danielle Mckinney, Lindsey Mendick, Juanita McNeely, Edvard Munch, Hermann Nitsch, Janice Nowinski, Anna Pakosz and Johnnie Shand Kydd.
Crossing Into Darkness brings together a group of artists whose works confront the darkness inherent in human experience, not as something to be feared but as a necessary threshold toward renewal. In times marked by upheaval and uncertainty, this journey feels both universal and deeply personal.
The title of the show is very self explanatory, especially for the times we are living in. But even so we have always had our own journeys. And I feel that we have to cross into darkness to find light. I’d like this show to be very emotionally immersive and people to feel the strength and vibrations within the works. I want people to know that art isn’t just something that you look at. That it has a deeper purpose and can penetrate all souls. I love the idea of people coming to Margate on the greyest of winter days with gale force winds and crashing waves to make the pilgrimage to see the show.
– Dame Tracey Emin
Preview
17th January, 5-7pm
Dates
18th January – 12th April 2026
Selected Works
Tracey Emin
I Am Protected (2025)
Acrylic on canvas
203 x 281 cm (80 x 110.5 in)
I Am Protected (2025)
Acrylic on canvas
203 x 281 cm (80 x 110.5 in)
Tracey Emin
I Am Protected (2025)
Acrylic on canvas
203 x 281 cm (80 x 110.5 in)
Tracey Emin
like I Vanished and Reappeared (2024)
Unique Monotype
149 x 117 x 50 cm (58.5 x 46 x 20 in)
like I Vanished and Reappeared (2024)
Unique Monotype
149 x 117 x 50 cm (58.5 x 46 x 20 in)
Tracey Emin
like I Vanished and Reappeared (2024)
Unique Monotype
149 x 117 x 50 cm (58.5 x 46 x 20 in)
Johnnie Shand Kydd
Deben 03 12 2021 (2021)
Silver gelatin print
40 x 50 cm (16 x 19.5 in)
Deben 03 12 2021 (2021)
Silver gelatin print
40 x 50 cm (16 x 19.5 in)
Johnnie Shand Kydd
Deben 03 12 2021 (2021)
Silver gelatin print
40 x 50 cm (16 x 19.5 in)
Joline Kwakkenbos
Self-Portrait as a Painter as Lucretia (2025)
Oil on canvas
195 x 140 cm (77 x 55 in)
Self-Portrait as a Painter as Lucretia (2025)
Oil on canvas
195 x 140 cm (77 x 55 in)
Joline Kwakkenbos
Self-Portrait as a Painter as Lucretia (2025)
Oil on canvas
195 x 140 cm (77 x 55 in)
Lindsey Mendick
It Eats Away At Me (2025)
Glazed ceramic
42 x 72 cm (16.5 x 28 in)
It Eats Away At Me (2025)
Glazed ceramic
42 x 72 cm (16.5 x 28 in)
Lindsey Mendick
It Eats Away At Me (2025)
Glazed ceramic
42 x 72 cm (16.5 x 28 in)
Celia Hempton
Demolition – West Facing, Broadley Street, London, 22nd February 2025 (2025)
Oil and debris on linen
180 x 140 cm (71 x 55 in)
Demolition – West Facing, Broadley Street, London, 22nd February 2025 (2025)
Oil and debris on linen
180 x 140 cm (71 x 55 in)
Celia Hempton
Demolition – West Facing, Broadley Street, London, 22nd February 2025 (2025)
Oil and debris on linen
180 x 140 cm (71 x 55 in)
Juanita McNeely
Untitled (Undated)
Framed monoprint on paper
76 x 56 cm (30 x 22 in)
Untitled (Undated)
Framed monoprint on paper
76 x 56 cm (30 x 22 in)
Juanita McNeely
Untitled (Undated)
Framed monoprint on paper
76 x 56 cm (30 x 22 in)
Anna Pakosz
Almost Disturbed (2025)
Rust, enamel, charcoal and oil on canvas
264 x 156 cm (104 x 61.5 in)
Almost Disturbed (2025)
Rust, enamel, charcoal and oil on canvas
264 x 156 cm (104 x 61.5 in)
Anna Pakosz
Almost Disturbed (2025)
Rust, enamel, charcoal and oil on canvas
264 x 156 cm (104 x 61.5 in)
Janice Nowinski
Bending Nude (2025)
Oil on panel
18 x 13 cm (7 x 5 x 1 in)
Bending Nude (2025)
Oil on panel
18 x 13 cm (7 x 5 x 1 in)
Janice Nowinski
Bending Nude (2025)
Oil on panel
18 x 13 cm (7 x 5 x 1 in)
Laura Footes
The Castle and the Citadel (2025)
Oil on birch wood cradled panels
152 x 362 CM (59.8 x 142.5 in)
The Castle and the Citadel (2025)
Oil on birch wood cradled panels
152 x 362 CM (59.8 x 142.5 in)
Laura Footes
The Castle and the Citadel (2025)
Oil on birch wood cradled panels
152 x 362 CM (59.8 x 142.5 in)
Juanita McNeely
Untitled (Undated)
Framed monoprint on paper
76 x 56 cm (30 x 22 in)
Untitled (Undated)
Framed monoprint on paper
76 x 56 cm (30 x 22 in)
Juanita McNeely
Untitled (Undated)
Framed monoprint on paper
76 x 56 cm (30 x 22 in)
Anna Pakosz
Almost Disturbed (2025)
Rust, enamel, charcoal and oil on canvas
264 x 156 cm (104 x 61.5 in)
Almost Disturbed (2025)
Rust, enamel, charcoal and oil on canvas
264 x 156 cm (104 x 61.5 in)
Anna Pakosz
Almost Disturbed (2025)
Rust, enamel, charcoal and oil on canvas
264 x 156 cm (104 x 61.5 in)
Janice Nowinski
Bending Nude (2025)
Oil on panel
18 x 13 cm (7 x 5 x 1 in)
Bending Nude (2025)
Oil on panel
18 x 13 cm (7 x 5 x 1 in)
Janice Nowinski
Bending Nude (2025)
Oil on panel
18 x 13 cm (7 x 5 x 1 in)
Laura Footes
The Castle and the Citadel (2025)
Oil on birch wood cradled panels
152 x 362 CM (59.8 x 142.5 in)
The Castle and the Citadel (2025)
Oil on birch wood cradled panels
152 x 362 CM (59.8 x 142.5 in)
Laura Footes
The Castle and the Citadel (2025)
Oil on birch wood cradled panels
152 x 362 CM (59.8 x 142.5 in)
About The Curator
Dame Tracey Emin DBE RA (b. 1963, London, England)
Tracey Emin’s art is characterised by a profound sense of disclosure, drawing inspiration from her life experiences to create works that span various mediums, including painting, neon, drawing, video, installation, photography, needlework, and sculpture. In her candid and, at times, brutally honest pieces, Emin reveals her hopes, humiliations, failures, and successes. Her work possesses an immediacy and often sexually provocative nature, firmly situating her within the tradition of feminist discourse. Emin’s paintings, monoprints, and drawings delve into complex personal states and concepts of self-representation, employing distinctly expressionist styles and themes.
Born in London in 1963, Emin studied at Maidstone College of Art and the Royal College of Art, London. In 2007, she represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale and was elected a Royal Academician in the same year. In 2011, Emin was appointed Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. In June 2024, King Charles III honored her as Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her contributions to the visual arts. Emin currently resides and works between London, the South of France, and Margate, UK.
