Tanoa Sasraku: Tropical Ken

A free solo exhibition of new sculptures by Turner Prize nominee Tanoa Sasraku exploring tropical leisure, militarism and colonial memory.

Tropical Ken is Tanoa Sasraku's third solo exhibition at Vardaxoglou Gallery, coinciding with the Turner Prize 2026 exhibition at MIMA. The show presents new sculptures drawing on Mattel's 1980s Ken dolls and the 1992 Gulf War 'Army Ken', combining military uniform, tropical kitsch and Western adventurism. Disassembled combat clothing from conflicts in Vietnam, the Middle East and Afghanistan is translated into layered newsprint torsos, with camouflage patterns tanned onto the paper using a domestic tanning bed, then soaked and assembled with binder clips in plywood frames evoking weapons crates and doll packaging. Originally commissioned by Glasgow International 2026.