Turner Prize shortlist includes spoken word on race, class and masculinity

A spoken word performer who explores Britishness, class, race and masculine identity is among the artists shortlisted for the Turner Prize.

Simeon Barclay is nominated for his hour-long performance The Ruin, which draws on his upbringing in Huddersfield and his lived experience of the industrial landscape of northern England.

Featuring live percussion by James Larter and horn by Isaac Shieh, the jury praised his work for its evocative, experimental use of language and a psychologically immersive soundscape.

Also shortlisted for the prestigious prize for the visual arts is Kira Freije, who is nominated for her first major solo exhibition, Unspeak The Chorus, at The Hepworth Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

The artist uses metal, fabric and found materials to create sculptures that explore universal human emotions featuring life-sized figures constructed from bare metal framework with expressive, stonecast faces.

The jury praised the emotional depth of Freije’s work, highlighting its unique sculptural vocabulary of materials and forms, as well as the haunting, expressive way she transformed the space through her arrangement of figures.

Sculptor Marguerite Humeau is nominated for her solo exhibition Torches, which examines the formation of life, ancient human history and imagined future worlds.

The jury was impressed by her “cinematic exhibition-making, and her engagement with ecological and existential themes through inventive forms, speculative scenarios and dynamic shifts in scale”.

The fourth shortlisted artist is Tanoa Sasraku, nominated for her solo exhibition Morale Patch at The Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, which focuses on recent political and military histories of oil.

Using object-like sculptures and works on paper and film, the jury praised the “precision and sophistication” of the installation, noting how it addresses complex historical issues with strong contemporary resonances, and its use of a clinical, minimalist display that conveys both irony and seriousness.

An exhibition of the work of the shortlisted artists will be held at Teesside University’s MIMA, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, from September 26 to March 29, 2027.

The winner will be announced on December 10, 2026 at an award ceremony at MIMA.

Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain and chairman of the Turner Prize jury, said: “It is a privilege to announce this outstanding shortlist – congratulations to all four nominated artists.

“The Turner Prize continues to offer the public a compelling reflection of the breadth and vitality of contemporary British art.

“This year’s selection presents a rich and diverse range of work, spanning installation and performance, and with a strong emphasis on sculptural practice.

“Each artist invites us into carefully constructed scenarios, both real and imagined, that offer distinct perspectives through which to explore the world around us, and to reflect on our place within it.”

Established in 1984 and named after JMW Turner, The Turner Prize is one of the most prestigious awards for the visual arts, aiming to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art.

It is awarded each year to a British artist for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work.

The Turner Prize winner will be awarded £25,000, with £10,000 given to the other shortlisted artists.