At school Deller chose the edgy Francis Bacon as the subject of his A-Level art history project. While studying History of Art at the Courtauld Institute, he met none other than Andy Warhol and spent a summer at The Factory in New York. He won the Turner Prize in 2004 and represented Great Britain at the 2013 Venice Biennale.
He takes inspiration from an eclectic mix of pop culture, fashion, music, folk tradition and historical events. He often experiments and combines the traditional with the modern in surprising and entertaining ways. The 1996 work 'Acid Brass', where a traditional brass band played acid house anthems, is typical of his imaginative approach. Posters, graphics and images on a humble coaster or beer mat, an album cover or pop video could all inspire him.
Deller’s art is about performance, often involving communities and where the process is as much part of the work as its culmination. He sums it up in his book 'Art is Magic' describing his experience working with the brass band as liberating him, ‘it constituted a shift from making things to making things happen’.
Other works include 'Sacrilege' (2012), a giant, inflatable Stonehenge bouncy castle taking its cue from the timeless image of the World Heritage Site next to the Wiltshire A303.
Involving people in his work is important to Deller and was key to 'The Battle of Orgreave' (2001) a 1,000-person re-enactment of the violent clash between police and miners on strike during the 1984‒5 miners’ strike. The work 'we’re here because we’re here' (2016) saw people from Plymouth to the Shetland Isles appear in groups in anywhere from a shopping centre to a station dressed in First World War uniforms as living memorials to mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme which started on 1 July 1916.
We’re going to see Deller’s influence around the UK in the run up to our birthday, working with partners in Derry/Londonderry, Dundee, Llandudno and Plymouth to stage local performance works. Then, in summer 2025 after months of research, discovery and creation, we'll see on our doorstep in Trafalgar Square the culmination of our 200th birthday celebrations - 'The Triumph of Art'.
It’s still a little way off but Deller, with his creativity, sense of fun, interest in communities, culture and collaboration seems just the right person to bring our Bicentenary celebrations to life.
