Nnena Kalu, a 59-year-old autistic artist with a learning disability and troubled verbal communication, has won the prestigious Turner prize 2025.
Her artwork, made with vibrantly coloured fabrics and VHS tape, paved the glorious path for this British-Nigerian artist to take home a £25,000 cash prize.
Interestingly, Kalu received the prize wearing a rosette, with her photo and 'Idol, legend, winner, whatever' slogan.
Jury chairman and Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson said that the choice of the winner was based 'only' on merit, and she being a neurodiverse artist wasn't a driving factor at all.
Meanwhile, he described the announcement as a historic moment.
He said the award presented to Kalu breaks down the walls between neurotypical and neurodiverse artists to the BBC.
"It becomes really about the power and quality of the work itself, whatever the artist's identity is," he said.
Rene Matić, Mohammed Sami, and Zadie Xa were other artists who were shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2025. The annual event was hosted at Bradford’s Cartwright Hall Art Gallery.
The Turner prize showcases and appreciates the innovations in British art.
Notably, the UK celebrates the 250th birth anniversary of JMW Turner.
Turner is the much-celebrated English artist fondly called as the 'painter of light' as he predominantly used brilliant colours in his landscapes and seascapes.