On Monday (28 September), the anonymous political art collective Secret Handshake unveiled a new work of satirical public art in Washington, DC: three fully functional arcade games at the District of Columbia War Memorial. Installed in the monument near the west end of the National Mall, the playable consoles feature Operation Epic Furious: Nuuk ‘Em All, an adventure game that satirises US President Donald Trump’s own use of gamer culture on the White House’s social media channels.
Passersby are invited to play the retro-style game, which centres around the president’s desire to annex the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland. Even if gamers “win” Greenland and complete side quests like capturing notes left by Natalie Harp, Trump’s assistant, they are ultimately returned to the White House and continue waging war on Iran in Secret Handshake’s previous arcade installation and game, Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell.
“The game follows Trump and gang as they pursue the endgame: turning one of America’s allies into a giant rare-earth, crypto-mining, golf-course vanity project,” the members of Secret Handshakewrote in a statement to The Art Newspaper.
A screenshot from gameplay of Secret Handshake's arcade game Operation Epic Furious: Nuuk 'Em All Courtesy Secret Handshake
“With the Iran War totally and completely won in record time, the moment has come to set our man-o-fest destiny on cooler waters—Greenland,” a plaque beside the game reads. “The recent agreement gives the US complete access to this new icy frontier. It’s not a treaty, it’s an invitation. Operation Epic Furious: Nuuk ‘Em All puts you in the driver’s seat as Trump pursues his ultimate dream—rebuilding Greenland in his own image.”
“We think this is a fun and satirical way to distil some of the current events happening in the country through a fantasy lens just like the White House did with their actual arcade game release,” the members of Secret Handshake added, referencing the Zelda-style game called “The Legend of Trump: Make America Great Again”, posted by the White House on 8 September.
Installation view of arcade rigs featuring Secret Handshake's arcade game Operation Epic Furious: Nuuk 'Em All installed in the District of Columbia War Memorial Courtesy Secret Handshake
Secret Handshake received a permit from the National Park Service to display the work, and has security on site. Asked about their choice of location, the collective’s members said there were two reasons: “One is that it is just an absolutely stunning and beautiful piece of art and architecture. The second is that it has a previously established history as being a location for anti-war statements.”
Along with unveiling the arcade games in Washington, Secret Handshake simultaneously debuted the game in Nuuk, Greenland. “Because if you’re going to make a game about America’s facelift for the Arctic, it seems only fair they should get to see it first,” the group wrote. In addition to the arcade rigs in Washington and Nuuk, the game is playable online.
Installation view of an arcade rig featuring Secret Handshake's arcade game Operation Epic Furious: Nuuk 'Em All installed in Nuuk, Greenland Courtesy Secret Handshake
The games will be installed and playable in Washington “for several days”, according to Secret Handshake. Asked about the long-term plan for the arcade games, members of the collective said that “several indie arcades have reached out about housing them”, but no decisions have been made.
The Secret Handshake collective is responsible for much of the poignant and eye-catching public art that has cropped up in the US capital during Trump’s second term, from a 10ft-tall replica of Trump’s alleged birthday message to convicted sex offender Epstein, to a giant golden toilet and a Titanic-esque statue of Trump and Epstein embracing on the bow of a ship. The collective’s best-known public art intervention may be a sculpture depicting Trump and Epstein holding hands and titled Best Friends Forever that was repeatedly installed in public spaces around Washington.