Original works by Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Anthony Caro, and Helen Chadwick will be loaned to a York vicar for a special art exhibition at St Stephen's Church in Acomb, as part of the AcombFest 2026 community festival. The exhibition, running July 4-5, 2026, will feature Hirst's 'Ho, Ho, Ho! Greeting Card' (1997), Emin's 'Be Faithful To Your Dreams Greeting Card' (1999), and Caro's bronze 'Belt Buckle' (1993), alongside works by local artists, photographers, and printmakers. Street artist Smug will also create a new mural during the festival.
The exhibition matters because it brings major contemporary British art into a suburban parish church, making high-profile works accessible to a local community audience for free. It highlights how community festivals like AcombFest can bridge the gap between internationally renowned artists and grassroots creativity, fostering broader public engagement with contemporary art outside traditional museum or gallery settings.