Jeremy Deller [he/him] is a British conceptual artist celebrated for his politically charged, collaborative art. He won the Turner Prize in 2004 for Memory Bucket and represented the UK at the Venice Biennale in 2013. His iconic projects—such as Acid Brass (1997), the reenactment The Battle of Orgreave (2001), and the bouncy‑castle Sacrilege—blend popular culture with public engagement. In 2016, he staged We’re Here Because We’re Here, a silent commemoration of the Somme across the UK. His nationwide performance, The Triumph of Art rounds off the National Gallery's Bicentenary celebrations. It marks how festivals are part and parcel of art, culture and civic life, and that art and artists can be catalysts of collaboration and joy.

Ben Luke [he/him] is a critic and broadcaster. Former art critic at the Evening Standard, he is now a contributing editor of The Art Newspaper, and presents its podcasts A brush with…, and The Week in Art. He is a regular guest on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row and Monocle 24’s The Globalist. Ben has contributed to books on artists as diverse as Phyllida Barlow, Glenn Brown, Michael Craig-Martin, Mark Dion, Matthew Krishanu, George Shaw and Jiro Takamatsu. He was selected in the Critics’ Critics section of Artforum’s Best of 2024 issue. His book, What is art for? Contemporary artists on their influences, inspirations and disciplines,, is published by HENI in September.

© Photo: David Clack