Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995

I came across this piece by Tracey Emin, a leading member of the group known as Britartists or YBAs (Young British Artists).

If you click on the picture and read the wiki about it, you’ll discover that the title is to be taken literally. I assumed it was a euphemism for sexual partners, but it’s about more than sex, it’s about who nurtures us. One of the names appliqued on the tent is that of Tracey’s grandmother:

I used to lay in her bed and hold her hand. We used to listen to the radio together and nod off to sleep. You don’t do that with someone you don’t love and don’t care about.

It got me thinking about the names that would be inside my tent – those people that shared that intimate space with me. How have they impacted my ability (or inability) to be intimate with others?