Mark Wallinger debuts anti-fascist work Jungle Gym at Glastonbury

Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Wallinger has unveiled a new anti-fascist installation titled "Jungle Gym" at Glastonbury Festival's Terminal 1 stage, as part of a group exhibition called "No Human is Illegal" that confronts rising authoritarianism and anti-immigrant rhetoric worldwide, according to The Art Newspaper.

Wallinger's Jungle Gym Installation

"Jungle Gym" explores the plight of children caught in migration crises, featuring a central playground structure surrounded by chain-link fencing that creates a maze-like barrier. Wallinger explains: "The installation binds this vision of childhood and play, with a jungle gym at the centre of it, but the whole thing has been occluded by a maze of chainlink fencing. I wanted to make something that had an ideal of childhood, but then [contrasted by] the actuality for so many people." The walls are painted in UNICEF's official 100% cyan blue, symbolically connecting the installation to humanitarian efforts for children's rights.Wallpaper*+2

The work forms part of Terminal 1's immersive experience where festival attendees must first answer UK citizenship test questions before progressing through three escalating cabins – a refugee camp simulation, Wallinger's "Jungle Gym," and finally a confrontation with border police. This powerful sequence challenges visitors to consider migration from "a position of kindness, humility and good grace," reflecting Wallinger's belief that we are "sleepwalking into the most intolerable state of affairs" regarding global politics and human rights.Carlier | Gebauer+2

Terminal 1 Exhibition Space

Terminal 1 debuted at Glastonbury 2024 as an innovative exhibition space designed to celebrate migration and challenge visitors to confront border politics. Located next to the festival's giant scrap metal sculpture Carhenge in Williams Green field, this repurposed airport terminal (featuring salvaged signage from Heathrow's Terminal 1) operates under the ethos "No Human Is Illegal" while showcasing diverse international artists and performers.Wallpaper*+2

The space is curated by Oriana Garzón and produced by Paula Clark, with Miguel Torres Umba serving as creative consultant and performance director. Beyond its immersive border control experience, Terminal 1 houses La Linterna, a Colombian print shop creating bespoke designs on vintage letterpress machines dating back to 1860. The bar is staffed by the Cleaners and Workers Alliance Union, while the project provides mentorships for people from Africa, Pakistan and elsewhere to learn venue management and production skills. For 2025, Terminal 1 returns with an expanded lineup featuring artists including Dr Perra, Lil Silva, Goya Gumbani, and special showcases from St. Pauls Carnival and Notting Hill Carnival, continuing its mission as "a place without borders that celebrates our shared humanity."The Forty-Five+2

Anti-Immigration Rhetoric Response

Wallinger's installation directly confronts the alarming rise in anti-immigration rhetoric and authoritarianism across the globe. The artist points to concerning statistical manipulation, noting that while "the population of the world has doubled from four to eight billion" over the past 50 years, "the number of migrants in the world has remained fairly constant at 3.5%." This deliberate misrepresentation by right-wing politicians creates what Wallinger describes as "a sense of panic among voters," fueling xenophobic policies like Trump's mass deportation orders in major American cities.The Art Newspaper - International art news and events

The artist's work at Glastonbury represents part of a broader anti-fascist resistance movement gaining momentum worldwide. Wallinger emphasizes that effective opposition to fascism "must come from everywhere, from everyone," while acknowledging artists have a special responsibility to create "expressions of solidarity and some kind of hope for the future." This sentiment echoes historical anti-fascist movements that have mobilized against far-right figures and organizations, from protests against Pauline Hanson in Australia to the battle against the British National Front at Lewisham. Through "Jungle Gym," Wallinger joins curator Oriana Garzon in sounding the alarm about what she describes as fascism's rapid resurgence: "We are in a state of shock, because we didn't see this kind of fascism coming so fast, but we need to wake up really quickly."Wallpaper*+1