Tracey Emin, one of Britain's most celebrated contemporary artists, has been selected as the February artist featured in the monthly program Midnight Moment, presented by the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts. The program is the largest coordinated effort in history by the sign operators in Times Square to display synchronized, cutting-edge creative content on billboards throughout Times Square every night. s[edition], the curatorial partner for this month’s project, has provided the six Emin works. Tracey Emin's work, I Promise To Love You, will premiere just before midnight on February 1st and play every night throughout the month as part of the “Midnight Moment,” a presentation of the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts.
Tracey Emin's moving series of neonworks, I Promise To Love You, is comprised of six written love messages animated especially for Midnight Moment. In this unique moving image, the glowing words—made of neon lights—slowly spell themselves out, as if being written by a ghost or an invisible presence. The gentle electric pulsing of the lettering gradually builds into a powerful potent red, leaving the viewer in no doubt about the power of love. Times Square, famous for its neon lighting displays, is the perfect venue for the premiere for Emin’s animation.
s[edition], the leading platform used by the world’s most recognized artists to distribute art digitally, has been instrumental in working directly with Emin to bring this project to life.
Tracey Emin’s art is one of disclosure, using her life events as inspiration for works ranging from painting, drawing, video and installation, to photography, needlework and sculpture. Emin reveals her hopes, humiliations, failures and successes in candid and, at times, excoriating work that is frequently both tragic and humorous. Many of her artworks use words, phrases, or handwritten texts, and she once described how 'it's my words that actually make my art quite unique.'
Midnight Moment premiered in May 2012 and is organized and supported by the Times Square Advertising Coalition in partnership with Times Square Arts, the public art program for the Times Square Alliance, with additional partners of participating sign holders and artists. Creativity has always been at the forefront of the Times Square signs and their presence is now integral to the identity of this iconic public space. This level of sign holder commitment to synchronize their daily programs to feature cutting-edge art throughout the year is unparalleled. Past artists featured in the program include Robert Wilson; Seoungho Cho; Vicki DaSilva, Surabhi Saraf, and Elly Cho; Erika Janunger; Takeshi Murata; Bel Borba with Burt Sun and André Costantini; Yoko Ono; and Taxiplasm (with Jonathan Henry).