Creative Conversations on Vitality and Distress: A New Dialogue for Mental Health

Dr. Richard Martin is Director of Participation at Whitechapel Gallery, where he oversees a multi-disciplinary programme for all ages, developed in collaboration with artists, audiences and creative partners. He is also a Mental Health Champion at the Gallery. Richard was previously Curator, Public Programmes at Tate (2016-21). His curatorial practice has been supported by teaching positions at King’s College London, Middlesex University, UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture, and Birkbeck, University of London, where he completed his PhD in 2012. He is an Associate Member of the Centre for Arts and Learning at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Priyesh Mistry is Associate Curator for Modern and Contemporary Projects at the National Gallery where he manages an ambitious programme connecting contemporary artists to its historic collections. Recent projects include ‘Nalini Malani: My Reality is Different’, ‘Katrina Palmer: The Touch Report’ and ‘Ming Wong: Dance of the sun on the water’ among many others. Previously, he was Assistant Curator, International Art at Tate Modern where he co-curated exhibitions, including the Hyundai Commission 2019: Kara Walker in the Turbine Hall, alongside numerous collection displays of artists from the South Asia subcontinent. Priyesh is a member of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the British School at Rome, sits on the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group led by the Mayor of London’s office, a Trustee of Studio Voltaire, London, and was a member of the Jury panel for the 2025 Turner Prize

Karim Sultan is curator at Bethlem Gallery, where he is responsible for exhibitions, artist development and programmes alongside the team. Karim is a curator and artist, and in curatorial capacity has worked on and developed numerous international exhibitions and programmes focusing on modern and contemporary art often left out of the art historical canon. Some of his areas of interest and work include: artistic agency and mental health, music & sound practices and performance, critical approaches to animation and games, international histories of art & architecture, and photography. As an artist working with music and sound, Karim has presented and performed internationally.