Nnena Kalu becomes the first artist with a learning disability to win the Turner Prize, Britain’s most renowned contemporary art honor. The 59-year-old Scottish artist, who lives with autism, accepted the £25,000 prize (about $33,000) during a ceremony in Bradford, northern England.
Kalu’s winning body of work features a striking combination: vivid abstract drawings and suspended sculptures. One standout series showcases brightly colored, cocoon-like forms crafted from wrapped materials, hanging among the concrete columns of an abandoned power station in Barcelona. The prize jury, chaired by Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson, praised the pieces for their powerful presence and bold, compelling nature.
Kalu is a resident artist at ActionSpace’s London studio, which supports artists with learning disabilities. Charlotte Hollinshead of ActionSpace described the victory as historic, saying, “This is a major, major moment for a lot of people. It’s seismic. It’s broken a very stubborn glass ceiling,” a sentiment she shared onstage at the Bradford ceremony, in the U.K.’s 2025 City of Culture.
She surpassed three other finalists—Rene Matic, Mohammed Sami, and Zadie Xa—to win the prize, established in 1984 and named after the 19th-century landscape painter J.M.W. Turner. Over the years, the Turner Prize has helped launch the careers of artists who became household names, such as Damien Hirst, Grayson Perry, Anish Kapoor, and filmmaker Steve McQueen. However, it has not been without controversy; critics sometimes view its emphasis on highly concept-driven work as inaccessible, and the awards have sparked ongoing debates about the meaning and value of contemporary art. Iconic but polarizing winners include Hirst’s “Mother and Child Divided” (two cows preserved in formaldehyde) and Martin Creed’s “Lights On and Off” (a room where a light blinks intermittently).
