Tracey Emin reveals she was sexually assaulted by high-profile female artist

The YBA Tracey Emin has revealed in an interview that she was sexually assaulted by a high-profile female artist at a party when she was younger. The statement, first reported in the Sun, was made in an interview for MTV’s Staying Alive Foundation, a charity that aims to help prevent the spread of HIV. The Turner Prize nominee did not name her attacker, who she says “grabbed hold of my crotch [and] slammed me against a wall”, before Emin “threatened to punch her lights out”.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4 today (10 April), Emin said: “Women should not be ashamed to say something at the time to the person [involved]. I pushed them away and picked up my fist, I was going to punch them. It caused such a scene, and I told everyone what the person had done, much to their humiliation.” She added: “Sexual harassment is sexual harassment regardless of what sex it is.”

The revelation comes as Emin unveils her largest-ever text piece at St Pancras International station in London today. The 20-metre long neon work, comprising the words I Want My Time With You, extends the hand of friendship to Europe in Brexit Britain. Read more