A Washington, D.C.-based art collective known as Secret Handshake unveiled a new satirical video game installation on the National Mall on Monday morning, continuing its series of politically charged works critiquing the Trump administration. The group placed three arcade-style game cabinets beneath the dome of the World War I Memorial near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which is currently undergoing repairs.
Titled “Operation Epic Furious: Nuuk ’Em All,” the game offers a humorous take on former President Donald Trump’s reported ambitions regarding Greenland. Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, houses roughly 20,000 residents and is part of the Danish autonomous territory. According to a statement from Secret Handshake, the game casts Trump as a character navigating an “unhinged Arctic adventure,” confronting fictional adversaries such as “Fully Vaccinated Children,” “Woke Yetis,” and “the happiest people on Earth, the Danish.” The primary challenge for players is to prevent the character of Trump from falling asleep.
The installation also features imagery of prominent Trump-era figures including Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., all rendered in cartoon form. Decorations include caricatures of penguins equipped with ammunition belts and American flag patches, alongside a stylized map of Greenland with fabricated place names and a notably marked “Future Golf Course.” Multiple quotes attributed to Trump are displayed on the cabinets, such as “That’s Our Territory. All we’re asking for is to get Greenland,” and “We need Greenland very badly. One way or the other, we’re going to get it.”
In addition to the three arcade units on the National Mall, Secret Handshake posted on social media that a fourth cabinet appeared over the weekend on a hillside overlooking Nuuk itself. Representatives of Greenland’s government in Washington declined to comment on the overseas installation.
The White House has not responded to requests for comment on the latest project. However, after a previous installation in July mocking U.S. involvement in Iran titled the “Iran War Participation Trophy,” officials dismissed the group’s work as “untalented” and advised them to refrain from commenting on foreign policy. They emphasized that the U.S. military had “achieved all of its objectives during Operation Epic Fury.”
Among the few visitors to engage with the exhibit Monday were Shantha Tellambura, 62, and his wife, tourists from Australia. They described the installation as a notable example of free expression in a public space. “I think it’s very interesting, and it signifies freedom of expression,” Tellambura said. He added that the work’s message was timely, especially given “the possibility of nuclear war.”
Secret Handshake has gained recognition for a series of provocative art pieces over the past two years, utilizing National Park Service permits to place temporary displays at prominent sites on the Mall, including near the Capitol. Their past works have taken aim at Trump and his administration with themes ranging from a statue depicting Trump alongside Jeffrey Epstein to a mock tribute from authoritarian world leaders, as well as a reproduction of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk topped with fake excrement, satirizing the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The group also launched its first video game installation in May with “Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell,” focusing on the conflict with Iran. Beyond Washington, they have installed similar works in Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon. Secret Handshake members have declined to provide identifying information in interviews.