Nnena Kalu has made British art history as the first learning-disabled artist to win the prestigious Turner Prize. Her victory, announced in Bradford—this year’s UK City of Culture—marks a decisive shift in how the art world recognizes neurodiverse creators. What began decades ago in a South London studio has now culminated in one of the most significant acknowledgements an artist can receive.
The award jury praised Kalu’s “bold and compelling” work, a practice built around suspended cocoon-like sculptures wrapped in layers of rope, ribbon, paper, and salvaged materials such as VHS tape. Her drawings, clusters of swirling, near-identical vortex shapes, echo the same intensity.
These works are on display at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, where the annual Turner Prize exhibition runs until February 22, 2026.
Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain and chair of the prize jury, described Kalu’s art as possessing an enigmatic force. He emphasized that the decision to award her the prize was “qualitative,” grounded in the power, clarity, and originality of her practice. “She makes amazing abstract art, whirlpool-like; its expressiveness is enigmatic,” he said. He also noted that the recognition of learning-disabled artists has historically lagged behind and that Kalu’s win signals a necessary change.
Kalu, 59, is autistic and has limited verbal communication. ActionSpace, a visual arts organization that champions learning-disabled artists, has long supported her practice. She has worked with her primary assistant, Charlotte Hollinshead, since 1999, a collaboration that has shaped her ability to work at a significant scale and with rhythmic consistency. Accepting the price on stage, Hollinshead called the moment “seismic,” acknowledging the decade Kalu spent confronting exclusion and bias. “This amazing lady has worked hard for such a long time,” she said. “It’s wonderful she’s finally getting the recognition she rightly deserves.”
Kalu was shortlisted for her recent contribution to the Conversations exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool and for her series Hanging Sculpture 1-10 at Manifesta 15 in Barcelona. Michael Raymond, a co-curator of the Turner Prize exhibition, described her nomination as “a really significant moment for the learning disabled artist community, not just nationally, but internationally.
Her winning installation at Cartwright Hall creates an immersive environment of hovering, brightly colored forms. Farquharson explained that the sculptures behave almost like three-dimensional versions of abstract impressionist paintings—dynamic, gestural, and alive within the space. Suspended at eye level, they provoke presence without representing recognizable figures. “Although there are no figurative features at all,” he noted, “they appear to be communing among themselves and with you.”
Kalu’s practice is physically demanding. She often builds her sculptures by tightly wrapping material in spiraling motions while listening to disco music at maximum volume. Hollinshead described her as an artist of relentless focus, someone who constructs “gorgeous, complex forms” through repetition and intuitive movement. Much of the art world dismissed Kalu early in her career. Her work was overlooked, deemed outside the mainstream, and frequently undervalued. This Turner Prize win challenges the long-standing marginalization that Kalu has faced.
The judges deliberated for several hours and emphasized that their decision was based solely on merit. Farquharson rejected the idea that identity politics drove the outcome. Instead, he framed the win as evidence that neurodiverse artists can and do produce work of exceptional significance. It breaks down walls between neurotypical and neurodiverse artists,” he said. It becomes really about the power and quality of the work itself.”
Kalu receives £25,000 in prize money, while the other shortlisted artists, Rene Matić, Zadie Xa, and Mohammed Sami, each receive £10,000. All four artists’ work remains on display at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery.
