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Dame has recalled her battle from years after her diagnosis, saying she 'wasn't afraid of dying' and was 'more afraid of living'.
The artist, 62, found she had a tumour in her bladder in June 2020 and was suffering with very aggressive squamous cell cancer, which surgeons feared would kill her in months if it spread to her lymph nodes.
Tracey then announced in 2021 that she was cancer free.
She has since vowed to make the most of every moment and has unveiled her new art show at the Tate Modern, which looks back at her 40-year career.
The title of the show is A Second Life, which refers to her near-death experience with cancer in 2020.
Speaking to The Mirror, she said: 'I didn't come close to dying like a collision, I was told I probably had six months to live and if the surgery worked I had a year-and-a-half.
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Dame Tracey Emin has recalled her cancer battle from years after her diagnosis, saying she 'wasn't afraid of dying' and was 'more afraid of living'
The artist had a tumour in her bladder in June 2020 and was suffering with squamous cell cancer, which surgeons feared would kill her in months if it spread to her lymph nodes
'I am still here over five years later with no signs of cancer and I am so happy about that. It's brilliant. I live in a kind of bubble, a survivor thing.'
Tracey said she knows now she has to make the most of every moment and tries to be as 'bold and honest' as possible.
'I wasn’t afraid of dying, I was more afraid of living, so I have to get used to it and enjoy it more,' she added.
Tracey underwent a series of major operations in 2020 after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer during .
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Medics removed her bladder, urethra, lymph nodes and parts of her intestine and vagina to prevent the tumour from spreading.
She was fitted with a stoma pouch, an opening on the abdomen, to allow urine to be diverted out of the body and disposed of via a urostomy bag.
Tracey has been frank about adapting to life post-surgery and often shares candid updates about her health on social media.
In an old Instagram post, she wrote: 'This is my stoma. Most people have never seen one. It's something I'm supposed to hide forever.'
She has since vowed to make the most of every moment and has unveiled her new art show at the Tate Modern, which looks back at her 40-year career (pictured with David Furnish)
Tracey said: 'I didn't come close to dying like a collision, I was told I probably had six months to live and if the surgery worked I had a year-and-a-half' (pictured with Bianca Jagger)
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Tracey added: 'I am still here over five years later with no signs of cancer and I am so happy about that. It's brilliant' (pictured with Sam Taylor-Johnson)
She added: 'It's part of my intestine attached to the outside of my body. Without it being there and functioning correctly, I will die.'
'[It's] live flesh. Fragile and delicate. Surrounded by scar tissue and swollen puffy fatty flesh.
'I have almost total muscle wastage in my core abdomen, stomach. My body will never be the same.
'To be honest I find wearing the bag quite depressing. Nothing cool about carrying a bag of p*** around with you.
'But it's life.. my life now. Many disabilities can not be seen. But I thought I'd show you mine.'
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