Kalu was honored for her work showcased in the exhibitions “Conversations” at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool and “Hanging Sculpture 1 to 10” at Manifesta 15 in Barcelona.
Autistic and with limited verbal communication, Nnena Kalu is the first artist with acknowledged learning difficulties to receive the prestigious British award, a significant accolade in the contemporary art world, organized by Tate Britain.
Nnena Kalu, born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1966 to a Nigerian family, was among the four finalists for this year’s Turner Prize, alongside Rene Matic from the UK, Mohammed Sami from Baghdad, and Zadie Xa, a Canadian of South Korean descent, all based in London.
The jury of the 2025 Turner Prize, chaired by Tate Britain’s director, Alex Farquharson, included independent curator Andrew Bonacina, Sam Lackey, director of the Liverpool Biennial, Priyesh Mistry, associate curator of Contemporary Projects at the National Gallery, and Habda Rashid, senior curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Fitzwilliam Museum.
Valued at £25,000 (approximately €28,600), the Turner Prize aims to “foster public debate on new developments in contemporary British art.” It is organized by Tate Britain and is named after the painter J.M.W. Turner, reflecting his legacy of artistic experimentation.
This year, the finalists were announced on April 23, exactly 250 years after the birth of the British artist.
The exhibition of the four artists remains open at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford, the European Capital of Culture 2025, until February 22.
Previous winners include Malcolm Morley (1984), Gilbert & George (1986), Anish Kapoor (1991), Damien Hirst (1995), Steve McQueen (1999), Wolfgang Tillmans (2000), Susan Philipsz (2010), Elizabeth Price (2012), Laure Prouvost (2013), Helen Marten (2016), Veronica Ryan (2022), and Jesse Darling (2023).
Last year, the Turner Prize was awarded to Scottish artist Jasleen Kaur for her exhibition “Alter Altar.”
In 2019, the Turner Prize jury made history by awarding the prize to all four finalists: Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Helen Cammock, Tai Shani, and Oscar Murillo.
Next year, the winner will be announced at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art.
