Nnena Kalu wins 2025 Turner Prize
The Turner Prize 2024 has been awarded to Nnena Kalu, it was announced this evening at a ceremony in Bradford, the UK's City of Culture for 2025, where the artists' installations have been on display at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery
Glasgow-born artist Nnena Kalu was nominated for the Turner Prize 2025 for her inclusion of Drawing 21 in the group exhibition Conversations at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, and her works Hanging Sculpture 1-10. Barcelona at Manifesta 15, Barcelona.
To create her sculptures, Kalu begins with a loop, tube or structure that forms a base. Around these forms she wraps, folds and knots streams of repurposed fabric, rope, tape, cling film, paper and VHS tape. These brightly coloured lengths and strips come together to form bundles, sometimes resembling nests or cocoons. Finishing her works on site, Kalu responds to the space and character of where she is working.
Her drawings echo the sculptures, often consisting of powerful vortexes made with swirling, overlapping lines.
Mohammed Sami, Zadie Xa and Rene Matić were shortlisted for the award.