What impact will the Turner Prize have on Teeside?

Cultural leaders and politicians in Teeside are hoping that this year’s Turner Prize will have a positive impact on the region.

The Turner Prize exhibition is being hosted by Mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) from 26 September until 29 March 2027. The gallery, which has been part of Teeside University since 2014, celebrates its 20th anniversary next year. The four shortlisted Turner Prize artists are Simeon Barclay, Tanoa Sasraku, Kira Freije and Marguerite Humeau.

Teesside is one of the most economically deprived regions in England, while Middlesbrough and Hartlepool are among the local authority districts with the highest concentrations of deprived neighbourhoods. The area suffered recent unrest after two officers and five others died in a car crash during the summer. 

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Bringing the Turner Prize to Middlesbrough is a huge moment for our region and puts us firmly in the national spotlight. We said from the start this would bring visitors, investment and opportunity - and now people from across the country will be coming to Middlesbrough to see one of the world’s biggest arts events.”

Mark Simpson, the vice-chancellor of Teesside University, said: "The Turner Prize coming to Middlesbrough is a powerful statement about the role that culture and creativity play in the life of our communities. Teesside University is committed not only to education and research, but also to the social, cultural and economic vitality of our region.”

Chris Cooke, the mayor of Middlesbrough, said that culture was “thriving” in the town. Middlesbrough is one of nine places that has been longlisted to be the next UK City of Culture in 2029. The others on the shortlist are Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham. The winner will be announced early next year.

The opening of the Turner Prize exhibition coincides with Middlesbrough Art Week (MAW26), a contemporary art festival that runs from 24 September to 3 October.

The 10-day event includes an exhibition at the Auxilliary, a new arts venue in the town.

The theme of the festival is An Island of Neighbours, which will explore “what it means to be open, connected and actively involved” in culture.

MAW26 artistic director Liam Slevin said: “At a time when division, hostility and the rise of the far right are becoming increasingly visible, creating spaces where people of all backgrounds can come together feels more important than ever.

“For ten days, artists, residents, visitors and organisations will share ideas, challenge perspectives and celebrate creativity. These collective experiences remind us that our differences are something to explore, not fear, and that places we share are made stronger when we participate in them together.”

Middlesbrough Art Week began in 2017 as an artist-led project supported by the Auxilliary Project Space, which is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

There are two museums in the town run by Middlesbrough Museums – the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum and the Dorman Museum. The service, which is run by Middlesbrough Council, is a partner of the Tees Valley Museums consortium, an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

Who's in the running for this year's Turner Prize?

Simeon Barclay

Simeon Barclay creates environments where objects, architecture, sounds, video and images collide to create a deeply personal and often humorous portrait of British culture. He is nominated for his performance The Ruin, commissioned by the Roberts Institute of Art and presented at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, Hepworth Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and New Art Exchange, Nottingham.

Kira Freije

Kira Freije creates sculptural worlds inhabited by human and animal forms.

She is nominated for her solo exhibition Unspeak the Chorus at Hepworth Wakefield, co-commissioned with Modern Art Oxford.

Marguerite Humeau

Marguerite Humeau’s practice brings together sculpture, sound and light, moving between prehistoric pasts, the present and imagined futures to explore life, death, transformation and survival.

She is nominated for her solo exhibition Torches at Arken Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishøj, Denmark, and Helsinki Art Museum.

Tanoa Sasraku

Tanoa Sasraku explores materials and their narrative potential through the prism of human power structures.

Her artworks make connections between seemingly distinct material processes, found objects and familiar symbols, inviting the viewer to be curious about where they came from, who they belong to and how they were made.

She is nominated for her solo exhibition Morale Patch at the ICA.

The jury’s out… 

The members of the Turner Prize 2026 jury are:

• Sarah Allen, head of programme, South London Gallery.
• Joe Hill, director and chief executive, Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
• Sook-Kyung Lee, director, The Whitworth and professor of curatorial practices at the University of Manchester.
• Alona Pardo, director, Arts Council Collection, UK.

The jury is chaired by Alex Farquharson, director, Tate Britain.