Turner Prize winner celebrated by charity for ‘long overdue’ win

Scottish artist communicates with limited verbal expression, is the first artist with a learning disability to win the prestigious prize

Nnena Kalu (centre) is announced as the winner of the Turner Prize 2025 (James Speakman/PA) (PA Wire)

Autistic artist Nnena Kalu has been awarded the prestigious Turner Prize, a victory hailed by a disability charity as "long overdue" and "richly deserved."

The 59-year-old Scottish artist, who communicates with limited verbal expression, makes history as the first artist with a learning disability to secure the prestigious award, which includes a £25,000 prize.

Stephanie Tyrrell, head of arts and wellbeing at Sense, underscored the profound significance of Kalu’s win. "Nnena’s sculptures are huge, beautiful and so impactful. Now she is finally being celebrated on the national and international stage – and it’s both richly deserved and long overdue," Tyrrell stated.

She added that Kalu’s success demonstrates "what disabled people can achieve, given opportunities and support," urging that "talented disabled artists can no longer be overlooked."

Sense expressed hope that the 2025 Turner Prize would usher in "a new beginning, where many more disabled artists are given the chance to shine."

Kalu, a resident artist at ActionSpace’s studio, which supports learning disabled artists across London at Studio Voltaire, triumphed over fellow shortlisted artists Rene Matic, Mohammed Sami, and Zadie Xa.

Nnena Kalu won for this year’s Turner Prize an award ceremony in Bradford (PA Media)

ActionSpace, with whom Kalu has worked since 1999, celebrated her win, noting: "Her Turner Prize win is not only a recognition of her extraordinary talent, but also a celebration of what long-term, artist-centred support can make possible for learning-disabled artists."

The artist received the award for her installation Hanging Sculpture 1-10, a piece commissioned by Manifesta 15 Barcelona for a disused power station, and her contribution to Conversations, a group exhibition at Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery.

Known for her large-scale abstract drawings and hanging sculptures, Kalu was presented with the prize by Steven Frayne, the magician formerly known as Dynamo, at a ceremony held in Bradford, this year’s UK City of Culture.

Installation view of Nnena Kalu’s presentation at the Turner Prize 2025, Cartwright Hall Art Gallery (David Levene)

The jury, chaired by Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson, lauded Kalu’s "bold and compelling work," commending the "lively translation of expressive gesture" evident in her abstract sculptures and drawings, alongside her mastery of scale, composition, and colour.

During the emotional award ceremony, Kalu’s artistic facilitator, Charlotte Hollinshead, who assists her communication, hailed her as a "superstar," revealing that Kalu’s work is often created to disco music played "as loud as possible."

Hollinshead spoke passionately about the "long, often very frustrating journey" to challenge preconceptions about differently-abled and learning-disabled artists, who she described as "an important creative community, so undervalued."

‘Drawing 29, 2022’ by Nnena Kalu (David Levene)

She highlighted Kalu’s personal struggle: "Nnena has faced an incredible amount of discrimination, which continues to this day, so hopefully this award smashes that prejudice away. Nnena Kalu, you’ve made history." Hollinshead playfully added that Kalu was "ready to accept her call from the palace to accept her damehood," as the artist blew kisses to the audience.

Works by all four Turner Prize finalists are currently on display at a free exhibition at Bradford’s Cartwright Hall Art Gallery until 22 February. The Turner Prize 2026 is scheduled to be held at MIMA, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art. Previous recipients include sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor (1991), artist Damien Hirst (1995), and filmmaker Sir Steve McQueen (1999).