A landmark recognition for the neurodivergent artist whose dynamic sculptures and drawings reshape contemporary abstraction
The winner of the Turner Prize 2025, Nnena Kalu, in their exhibition at Cartwright Hall. The winner was announced at a ceremony at Bradford Grammar School, presented this year as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. Picture date: Tuesday December 9, 2025. PA Photo. Each year the prize is given to a British artist who has created an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work. The award is £55,000 with £25,000 going to the winner and £10,000 each for the other shortlisted artists. Photo credit should read: James Speakman/PA Media Assignments
The Turner Prize 2025 has been awarded to Nnena Kalu, marking a historic and deeply resonant moment for contemporary British art. The announcement was made at Bradford Grammar School, presented by magician Steven Frayne (formerly known as Dynamo), and broadcast live from Bradford — this year’s UK City of Culture.
The jury praised all four shortlisted artists for their bold, distinctive presentations, but it was Kalu’s arresting sculptural language and rhythmic, large-scale drawings that set her apart. Working with an intensity that feels both instinctual and masterfully controlled, the neurodivergent artist creates hanging sculptures formed from wrapped, knotted, and layered materials, producing cocoons of colour and texture that vibrate with expressive energy. Her drawings, made through repeated gestural marks, extend this same force in two dimensions.
The jury commended Kalu’s “lively translation of expressive gesture into compelling abstract form,” noting the finesse of scale, composition and colour that defines her practice. Her presentation at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford, part of the Turner Prize 2025 exhibition, has already drawn more than 34,000 visitors.
A Bold Vision for the Turner Prize
One of the world’s most influential visual arts prizes, the Turner Prize seeks to spark public debate about the future of contemporary art. This year’s shortlisted artists — Nnena Kalu, Rene Matić, Mohammed Sami, and Zadie Xa — reflect a range of practices spanning sculpture, photography, installation, sound, painting, and mixed media.
The 2025 jury included Andrew Bonacina (independent curator), Sam Lackey (Director, Liverpool Biennial), Priyesh Mistry (The National Gallery), and Habda Rashid (Fitzwilliam Museum), with Alex Farquharson, Director of Tate Britain, serving as chair.
Their decision highlights not only Kalu’s singular visual language but also the wider recognition of neurodivergent artists whose contributions have long shaped the cultural landscape yet remain underacknowledged.
Kalu’s Expansive Practice
Born in Glasgow in 1966 and based in London, Kalu has worked at ActionSpace — an organisation supporting learning-disabled and neurodivergent artists — since 1999. Her work often emerges through on-site making, responding intuitively to the architecture around her. Using materials such as fabric, rope, VHS tape, cling film, parcel tape, and paper, she forms sculptural bundles that pulse with movement and chromatic intensity.
Her drawings echo these forms through layered lines, spirals, and vortex-like shapes, created in series that explore repetition as an embodied, meditative process.
Kalu was shortlisted for:
- Hanging Sculpture 1–10. Barcelona, presented at Manifesta 15 (2024), and
- Her contribution to ‘Conversations’ at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2024–2025).
Her recent solo exhibitions include Kunsthall Stavanger (2025), Arcadia Missa (2024), Deptford X (2022), and Humber Street Gallery (2019).
Turner Prize 2025 Exhibition
The exhibition of all shortlisted artists continues at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford until 22 February 2026, co-curated by Jill Iredale, Michael Richmond, and Sophie Bullen for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
Turner Prize 2025 is produced by Bradford 2025 in partnership with Tate, Bradford District Museums & Galleries, and Yorkshire Contemporary, with support from The John Browne Charitable Trust and The Uggla Family Foundation.
In 2026, the prize will move to MIMA, Middlesbrough.
The Turner Prize 2025 exhibition remains on view at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford until 22 February 2026. Explore the full presentation at tate.org.uk.
