Art is Magic is the first French retrospective of the celebrated English artist Jeremy Deller (born in London in 1966), winner of the prestigious 2004 Turner Prize and Britain’s representative at the Venice Biennale in 2013. Much has been written about Deller over the decades, but this is the first time he has pulled together his own account of his influences. Come to hear him discuss them with the author of Dance Your Way Home, Emma Warren.

Which historical era should people pay more attention to? The one that’s just passed; the previous five years. Deller has developed an artistic approach since the 1990s that shifts between conceptual, performative, Mini versions were produced to pay for the inevitable overspend, giving the public the opportunity to burn their own rightwing chaos merchants at their leisure. The event was commissioned by Artangel, formerly responsible for such projects as Rachel Whiteread’s House and Michael Landy’s Break Down. The research process took about two years and consisted of travelling up to the area and talking to people who had been involved in the strike. We recruited former miners from towns and villages within a 30-mile radius of Orgreave: Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield, Rotherham. These meetings started off being low-key, often one-to-one in a pub or in somebody’s home. The scale of these conversations gradually increased, until just before the event itself when I was meeting 50 or more former miners at a time.Throughout 2019 and 2020, large parts of Australia were destroyed by a number of bushfires: Forty-six million acres of land were burned and it is estimated that up to 3 billion animals were displaced or killed. The Murdoch media in the country had initially attempted to ignore the story. When it became clear that they couldn’t, they were happy to repeat accusations that environmentalists had started the fires. You mean make art?” Deller responds with, notably, nervous laughter. ​ “It’s been aprocess of elimination, in that having studied art history, Isoon realised that it was aworld Iwasn’t equipped to be in.” Jeremy Deller was born in London in 1966. He studied art history at the Courtauld Institute (London) in the 1980s, and subsequently at the University of Sussex. Why is Art Is Magic the ‘best book by Jeremy Deller’, as per the tagline on the cover? Because I haven’t done a book like this before, it’s almost comprehensive. It’s also more or less in my own words, so it’s as I want it to be.

While Stonehenge is the most recognisable structure in the UK, it remains an enduring mystery. For our national identity to be a bit of mystery is no bad thing, as it gives the public space to make up their own versions of who they are. The idea of multiple interpretations of a place and history goes against the instincts of nationalism and authoritarianism, where countries have their sacred founding myths that cannot be interfered with. A country or institution that can’t laugh at itself is in trouble. Sacrilege was my attempt to help with this situation The Art is Magic exhibition provides a broad overview of Deller’s work from the 1990s to the present day, focusing on 15 major projects and key works that have marked his career. In addition, the event marks the publication of the first retrospective of the artist’s work in French. One retrospective, three worlds Art is Magic, le meilleur livre de Jeremy Deller is the first monograph in French on the famous English artist. The book explores Deller’s cultural references from Rod Stewart to the Industrial Revolution, and links them to his iconic œuvres. This detailed book, designed by Deller himself, is organised around 12 chapters written by the artist, and features five interviews. Published to mark Deller’s first retrospective The Art is Magic exhibition provides a broad overview of Deller’s work from the 1990s to the present day, focusing on 15 major projects and key works that have marked his career. In addition, the event will be an opportunity to publish the first retrospective of the artist’s work in French.Art is Magic is the first French retrospective of the celebrated English artist Jeremy Deller (1966, London), winner of the prestigious 2004 Turner Prize and Britain’s representative at the Venice Biennale in 2013. What are you currently working on? Well, apart from this book and all the promotion, something at the National Gallery. I meant more in terms of the art world, where he has always seemed out of step with the prevailing trends and apart from the ongoing carnival of commodification that began in earnest with the ascendancy of the YBA generation, of whom he is a contemporary. “Well, my work is less defined by what’s going on in the art world,” he says. “And I do feel like I have created a world to be within in a sense. But, no, I’m not really an outsider. It would be too romantic to say that.” Jeremy Deller’s new book, which he describes as “a sort of retrospective”, is called Art Is Magic. It reflects his belief in the alchemical power of art to transform the everyday – “if only for a moment, making the mundane profound”. He did, however, consider several other alternative titles for the book, including “That’s Not Art”, “Call That Art?” and “You Can’t Do That” , all of which are things people have said to him about his work. What was the most surprising thing about winning the Turner Prize in 2004? The most immediate thing is you get invited to things you wouldn’t have been invited to before, it literally just happens overnight. Which of course is the exact moment that you don’t want to go to them.