Prix Turner — 2026 — Lieu indépendant — Exhibition — Slash Paris

In 5 months: September 26, 2026 → March 29, 2027

Tate Britain has announced the four artists shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2026: Simeon Barclay, Kira Freije, Marguerite Humeau and Tanoa Sasraku. Their work will be presented in an exhibition at MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art), part of Teesside University, from 26 September 2026 to 29 March 2027. The winner will be announced on 10 December 2026 during an award ceremony, which will also take place at MIMA.

Simeon Barclay

Nominated for his performance The Ruin, commissioned by the Roberts Institute of Art and also presented at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, The Hepworth Wakefield in West Yorkshire, and New Art Exchange in Nottingham.

This hour-long spoken word performance, featuring live percussion by James Larter and horn by Isaac Shieh, draws on Barclay’s upbringing in Huddersfield and his lived experience of the industrial landscapes of northern England. The jury praised the work for its exploration of Britishness, class, race and masculinity through an evocative and experimental use of language, combined with a psychologically immersive soundscape.

Kira Freije

Nominated for her first major solo exhibition, Unspeak the Chorus, presented at The Hepworth Wakefield in West Yorkshire, Freije works with metal, textiles and found materials to create sculptures exploring universal human emotions. Her theatrical and unsettling installation features life-size figures made from exposed metal armatures and expressive stone-cast faces.

The jury highlighted the emotional depth of her work, as well as her distinctive sculptural language and the striking way she transforms space through the arrangement of her figures.

Marguerite Humeau

Nominated for her exhibition Torches, presented at the ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art and the HAM Helsinki Art Museum, Humeau explores the origins of life, ancient human histories and imagined futures. Her sculptures combine references to specific natural species with otherworldly forms, immersed in a continuous cycle of light and sound.

The installation expresses a deep connection with the natural world, adopting an ecocentric rather than anthropocentric perspective. The jury was particularly impressed by the cinematic quality of her exhibitions and her ability to address ecological and existential themes through inventive forms, speculative scenarios and dynamic shifts in scale.

Tanoa Sasraku

Nominated for her solo exhibition Morale Patch at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, Sasraku presents an installation that explores geopolitical themes through object-like sculptures and works on paper. Her practice engages with recent political and military histories of oil, within a conceptual display influenced by corporate visual language.

The jury praised the precision and sophistication of the installation, noting its ability to address complex historical issues with strong contemporary relevance, as well as its use of a minimalist, clinical presentation that conveys both irony and seriousness.

Practical information

Turner Prize 2026
Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art
Centre Square, Middlesbrough TS1 2AZ

Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00–16:30
Sunday, 12:00–16:00
Free admission