Nnena Kalu was announced as the winner of the prestigious award – and its £25,000 prize money – at a ceremony in Bradford, the UK’s current City of Culture, in December.
Nnena, who has autism and limited verbal communication, was celebrated for her large-scale, colourful sculptures. Her distinctive works are created through the intricate layering of ribbon, string, cardboard, and VHS tape, resulting in bound, cocoon-like forms. She was also recognised for her drawings, which feature dynamic, swirling, tornado-like shapes.
Charlotte Hollinshead, Nnena’s studio manager and long-time artistic facilitator, accepted the moment as a victory for the wider community.
“This amazing lady has worked so hard for such a long time,” Charlotte said. “It’s wonderful she’s finally getting the recognition she rightly deserves.”
She added: “Nnena’s career reflects the long, often very frustrating journey we’ve been on together... to challenge people’s preconceptions about differently-abled artists, but especially learning disabled artists – an important creative community that is so undervalued.”
Nnena has been steadily gaining recognition in the contemporary art world, working as a resident artist with ActionSpace, an organisation supporting artists with learning disabilities, since 1999. Her work is currently on display at the Turner Prize exhibition at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford, running until 22 February 2026.
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Photo: Drawing 29 (2022) by Nnena Kalu; Photo: James Speakman/PA Media Assignments
