Nnena Kalu becomes first artist with a learning disability to win Turner prize

"Nnena Kalu has won the 2025 Turner prize for her colourful drawings and sculptures made from found fabric and VHS tape, becoming the first artist with a learning disability to take home the 25,000 prize. Alex Farquharson, chair of the jury and director of Tate Britain, said the win by the British-Nigerian represented a watershed moment for the international art world."

"[Her win] begins to erase that border between the neurotypical and neurodiverse artist. You suddenly become aware that actually it's been a boundary around our history, and around contemporary art. But that boundary is dissolving. Kalu's drawings and sculptures, described by the Guardian art critic Eddy Frankel as huge cocoons wrapped into massive, tight, twisting, ultra-colourful knots, impressed the judging panel, who were torn in a year when nearly all the artists were tipped as potential winners."

Nnena Kalu won the 2025 Turner Prize and became the first artist with a learning disability to receive the £25,000 award. The prize recognized colourful drawings and sculptures constructed from found fabric and VHS tape. The win was framed as a watershed moment that begins to erase the boundary between neurotypical and neurodiverse artists. Kalu’s works have been described as huge cocoons wrapped into massive, tight, twisting, ultra-colourful knots. The work was selected for its quality despite the artist’s limited verbal communication. Materials include adhesive tape, clingfilm, repurposed plastics, fabrics, cable ties and VHS tape bound into varied forms. The 2025 nominees reflected themes of identity and belonging, provoking passionate and divided critical response.

Read at www.theguardian.com