This is a series of interview-based profiles of prominent contemporary visual artists, bringing together the work of Howard Hodgkin, Antony Gormley, Rachel Whiteread, Julian Opie, Mark Wallinger, and 2001 Turner Prize winner Martin Creed. Sandy Nairne's introductory essay offers a comprehensive overview of the state of contemporary art, highlighting how the six artists manifest some of the best recent and emerging art in Britain today. Accompanying the Channel 5 television series, each interview presents a survey of the artist's work and ideas and offers an insight into their influences and creative processes. The interviews are illustrated by both black and white and colour photographs of a range of key artworks and include a biography of the artist. This introduction to some of today's most important contemporary artists provides a means of engaging with the pleasures and puzzles of art in the 21st century.