A lot of artists feel passionately about what's occurring in the world and they become interested in the question of agency -- the representation of self and the relationship between self and state.

I wanted to put together a show with a relatively small number of works, to show the work of three artists in some depth. If you just have one person who sees what you're doing and engages with it, and it raises some similar passion in them and some hope ... that's a wonderful thing.

The trouble with the artists this year is they are all obsessed with Twitter and headlines. It feels like they are all getting a bit above themselves.

It's global. It's the world telling some artists they're doing a good job, because you get an award if you sell, so that's the audience talking, so it's very special.

There are certain artists who have taken it upon themselves to save the world, and I find that gets tiresome. I think the artist's first obligation is to the art, not to the issues . . . I think if I have something to say the best way to do that is just to tell a damn good story.

These are obviously artists who actively respond to the world they live in and who use the aesthetic to engage the real.