At 100 years old, Ken Turner is arguably the world’s oldest performance artist, a man who has spent 80 years pushing the boundaries of creativity. A painter, sculptor, and performer, Turner views his life as a continuous act of rebellion. His recent work remains as provocative as ever; last year, he orchestrated a performance that involved driving a 15-tonne tank over a Tesla, a gesture he described as a damning indictment of corporate greed and rising fascism. The project was coordinated in collaboration with the guerrilla art group Led By Donkeys.
Turner’s career is marked by a persistent rejection of institutional norms. After being drafted into the mines during the second world war and later serving in the Royal Engineers, he returned to civilian life with a deep suspicion of the art establishment. He famously turned down a place at the Slade School of Fine Art because he disliked the wall colors and later refused to complete his final exams at Regent Street Polytechnic due to the institution's pressure to conform to impressionist styles. He also shunned West End galleries, viewing art dealers as crooked and untrustworthy. Reflecting on his career, he asserts, “I’m not a revolutionary, I’m a simple rebel, really.”
In the late 1960s, inspired by radical theatre director Joan Littlewood, Turner founded Action Space, an artist collective dedicated to bringing art directly to the public. The group created massive inflatable sculptures that allowed for immersive, interactive experiences long before such concepts became mainstream. Action Space focused on community engagement and play, aiming to connect with people outside of traditional, conservative gallery settings. The collective continues today as a charity supporting learning-disabled artists, including Turner prize-winner Nnena Kalu.
Currently residing in Cornwall, where he moved in the 1990s to rediscover his love of brushes and oils, Turner continues to paint and perform daily, maintaining that the two disciplines are inseparable for him. “I perform when I’m painting, and I’m painting when I perform,” he explains. His son, filmmaker Huw Wahl, who has created a documentary portrait of his father, notes that Turner’s painting has become increasingly playful with age. Turner himself emphasizes the importance of play as a form of education, arguing that institutional environments often stifle the natural human inclination to play.
Despite his age, Turner is not interested in looking backward. He is currently preparing for a new exhibition at the Wharfside Arts Hub in Penzance, which runs until 4 August. For Turner, creating art is a biological necessity. He admits that if he were to stop making art, he would become sick in his mind. Driven by a persistent inner voice, he envisions himself continuing his creative output well into his next decade. As he puts it, “Even though I’m 100, I’ll get to about 110 and I’ll still go on painting, because it’s signposted: ‘This is the way, this is where you should go.’”
