Overview
- Kalu, 59, was announced this week as the Turner Prize winner, the first time the award has gone to an artist with a learning or intellectual disability.
- An autistic artist with limited verbal communication, Kalu has worked with London-based ActionSpace since 1999, with Charlotte Hollinshead accepting the prize on her behalf.
- Her practice features large abstract charcoal drawings and hanging, cocoon-like sculptures made from materials such as VHS tape, clingfilm, fabric and rope.
- The panel compared her sculptures to three-dimensional abstract expressionism and stated that neurodivergence did not influence their choice.
- The result has prompted criticism from some commentators who allege virtue-signalling, even as supporters highlight the £25,000 award and renewed attention to the studio networks that support disabled artists.