Autistic artist wins Turner Prize

LONDON

Scotland's Nnena Kalu took home the Turner Prize on Dec. 9, with the autistic artist beating four competitors including an Iraqi painter to the prestigious contemporary art award.

Glasgow-born Kalu, 59, was nominated for her hanging sculptures using wrapped material, including fabric, rope and tape, with the British disability charity Sense hailing her shortlisting as "incredibly significant."

The jury of the prize, established in 1984 to celebrate contemporary British art, hailed Kalu's art as "bold and compelling" as well as "the powerful presence these works have."

"This amazing lady has worked so hard for such a long time," said Charlotte Hollinshead, Kalu's helper, hailing the artist's perseverance in the face of stigma.

"Nnena has faced an incredible amount of discrimination, which continues to this day, so hopefully this award smashes that prejudice away," Hollinshead added.

The Turner Prize is awarded each year to an artist born or based in Britain for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work.

Named after English painter J.M.W. Turner and his legacy of artistic experimentation, the prize, organized by the Tate institution, is one of the world's leading visual arts awards.

The four shortlisted artists were announced on April 23, 250 years to the day since Turner's birth.

British-born Kalu and Rene Matic were joined by Iraqi painter Mohammed Sami and Canadian-Korean artist Zadie Xa. All four now live and work in London, according to the prize organizers.

Their work has been on display since September at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford, in northern England.

Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain and chair of the Turner Prize 2025 jury, denied that Kalu's neurodivergence was a factor in the choice to award her the prize.

"It was interest in, and a real belief in, the quality and uniqueness of her practice, which is inseparable from who she is... whatever the artist's identity is," Farquharson added.