Turner Prize exhibition opens at MIMA with work by four shortlisted artists

Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA) has opened the 2026 Turner Prize exhibition, bringing work by four shortlisted artists to the Teesside University gallery. The show opened to visitors on 26 September and is scheduled to run until 29 March 2027, giving audiences in Middlesbrough a chance to see the contenders’ presentations ahead of the December award.

The shortlisted artists are Simeon Barclay, Kira Freije, Marguerite Humeau and Tanoa Sasraku. MIMA unveiled their presentations on 24 September. The works range from sculptural figures and altered gallery spaces to installations using sound, light and materials associated with resource extraction.

What visitors can see

Barclay is nominated for The Ruin, a performance commissioned by the Roberts Institute of Art and previously presented at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, The Hepworth Wakefield and New Art Exchange in Nottingham. At MIMA, he has translated elements of the live performance into a spatial installation that also uses his voice.

His presentation takes visitors between public and personal histories. It evokes construction of the M62 through the Pennines and moves into more intimate settings, including Barclay’s childhood living room. MIMA describes scaffolding in the installation as a way of suggesting a history still being built, a connection between the motorway project and the artist’s memories.

The figures’ gestures suggest care, grief, companionship and uncertainty, according to MIMA’s description, while leaving visitors to form their own interpretations. Found textiles, glass and salvaged materials appear throughout the installation. Animal forms, including references to Freije’s dog and to birds in flight, sit among the human figures.

Humeau’s nomination is for Torches, a solo exhibition shown at ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art in Denmark and Helsinki Art Museum. Her MIMA presentation brings together sculpture, sound and light. Translucent glass orbs form a celestial setting for figures that include a monumental elephant matriarch approaching death and guardians protecting precious substances.

MIMA describes transformation and renewal as themes in Humeau’s work. Its exhibition account also points to her collaboration with people from fields including zoology and anthropology. A soft white floor links the sculptural figures in the gallery; visitors’ footsteps leave traces across it as the exhibition continues.

Sasraku is nominated for Morale Patch, previously shown as a solo exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Her MIMA presentation examines power and the extraction of natural resources through materials and familiar symbols. It includes pigments from Cornwall and Ghana, crude oil contained in acrylic paperweights, and brittle paper works that refer to battles.

Why the Middlesbrough venue matters

Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson said Tate works with museums and galleries around the UK to bring the Turner Prize to a wider audience. In a statement issued by Teesside University, he pointed to MIMA’s engagement with its local community and said he hoped the four presentations would prompt conversation beyond the gallery.

MIMA director Laura Sillars described the exhibition as a meeting between the artists’ work and the histories and experiences of Middlesbrough, Teesside and the North East. Speaking to the BBC, she said that while the prize exhibition is at MIMA, ‘at a certain level, we are the centre of the creative universe.’ Her description reflects the gallery’s role as host of this year’s shortlisted presentations.

Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke said the exhibition gives residents an opportunity to see contemporary art in their home town. He also expressed hope that it would inspire young people and let the town show visitors what it has to offer. Those are the mayor’s hopes for the event; the available reporting does not establish attendance or wider effects.

The decision ahead

Established in 1984, the Turner Prize is awarded annually to a British artist for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work. This year’s winner is due to be announced on 10 December 2026 and will receive £25,000. The other three shortlisted artists will each receive £10,000.

The four presentations can be considered together at MIMA before that decision. A related Turner Prize exhibition review offers another account of the works on display.