Nnena Kalu wins the Turner Prize 2025 in ‘seismic’ moment for award
Autistic artist makes history after winning Turner Prize 2025
- Nnena Kalu, a 59-year-old Glasgow-born artist, has won the 2025 Turner Prize for her distinctive cocoon-like sculptures crafted from VHS cassette tape and found fabric.
- Kalu, who is autistic with limited verbal communication, is the first learning-disabled artist to receive the prestigious award.
- Her winning works, including Drawing 21 and HangingSculpture1-10, were commended by the jury for their lively translation of expressive gesture into sculpture and drawing, as well as their finesse of scale, composition, and colour.
- The artist was presented with the £25,000 prize by magician Steven Frayne (Dynamo) at a ceremony in Bradford on Tuesday evening, beating out fellow nominees Mohammed Sami, Zadie Xa, and Rene Matić.
- A group exhibition featuring the works of all 2025 shortlisted artists is currently running at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford until 22 February 2026.