Tate Britain has today announced the shortlist for the 2026 Turner Prize – one of the art world’s most prestigious prizes. One of the four nominated artists that have been singled out for recognition in this year’s shortlist is Glasgow-based artist Tanoa Sasraku, who has been teaching in the Year 2 Painting and Printmaking programme this year at the GSA. Tanoa Sasraku is nominated alongside Simeon Barclay, Kira Freije, and Marguerite Humeau.
Tanoa Sasraku, whose practice spans drawing, filmmaking, and sculpture, is known for her work that uses printmaking, sewing, and garment construction to consider how power structures and landscapes are shaped over time.
Sasraku is nominated for her solo show ‘Morale Patch’ presented last year at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London. ‘Morale Patch’ comments on the power struggles and conflicts surrounding diminishing natural resources. Crude oil occupies a central position in Sasraku’s exhibition, both as subject and material, alongside found objects tied to the oil industry presented as relics of an empire.
Simeon Barclay is nominated for his performance, The Rui. Kira Freije is nominated for her first major solo exhibition, Unspeak the Choru, and Marguerite Humeau is nominated for her solo exhibition, Torches. The four artists will be featured in the Turner Prize exhibition, this year at MIMA, the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, scheduled for 26 September – 29 March 2027.
Graduates and staff of Glasgow School of Art have featured prominently in the awards over the years, including seven previous individual winners: Douglas Gordon (1996), Simon Starling (2005), Richard Wright (2009), Martin Boyce (2011), Duncan Campbell (2014), Charlotte Prodger (2018) and Jasleen Kaur (2025). Two further graduates, Thomas Wells and Sighle Bhreathnach-Cashell, were members of the Array Collective (2021). Although no Turner Prize was awarded in 2020, bursaries were awarded to ten artists “for their significant contributions to new developments in British contemporary art.” GSA graduates Jamie Crewe and Alberta Whittle were among the recipients.
Tanoa Sasraku is presenting a solo show, ‘‘Tropical Hardware’ as part of this year’s Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art (Gi). This show runs alongside the GSA’s own exhibition, Anya Paintsil’s ‘The Delight of Walking Alone’. Visit glasgowinternational.org for full details.
Notes for Editors
About The Glasgow School of Art
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines. Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world.
Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3,500 students and staff and 22,000 alumni across architecture, design, fine art and innovation and technology in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands). Consistently ranked as one of Scotland’s leading institutions for widening participation and access, 60% of graduates choose to remain in Glasgow after graduation, sustaining Glasgow’s position as one of the UK’s leading centres for the cultural and creative industries.
About The Turner Prize
One of the world’s best-known prizes for the visual arts, the Turner Prize aims to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art. Established in 1984, the prize is named after the radical painter JMW Turner (1775-1851) and 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 awarded to the other shortlisted artists.
