All of us at Project Ability extend our biggest warmest congratulations to Nnena Kalu, and the ActionSpace team, for Nnena’s greatly deserved 2025 Turner Prize win! It is a momentous occasion for all artists with learning disabilities, to be inspired, seen, invested in and valued.
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Project Ability Celebrates Turner Prize Nominee Nnena Kalu, Recalling Her Landmark 2018 Solo Exhibition for Glasgow International
Project Ability is proud to celebrate acclaimed artist and Turner Prize winner Nnena Kalu, whose first-ever solo exhibition was presented by Project Ability as part of Glasgow International 2018. This landmark exhibition marked a pivotal moment in Kalu’s career and offered Glasgow audiences an intimate opportunity to witness her dynamic, immersive practice as it unfolded in real time.
Born in Glasgow and working with ActionSpace, a London-based visual arts organisation supporting artists with learning disabilities, Kalu is an extraordinary hard-working artist who creates mesmerising drawings and sculpture.
For the first week of her 2018 Glasgow International exhibition at Project Ability, Kalu was in residence at the gallery, working in situ. Visitors were invited to watch as the work emerged, witnessing the artist’s total absorption in the rhythms of making. Her process, both meditative and mesmerising, became an integral part of the exhibition itself, offering a rare window into the energy and focus that drive her practice.
As a newly announced Turner Prize winner, and the first artist with a learning disability to have won the prestigious prize, Kalu’s achievements resonate strongly with all of us at Project Ability, and we are honoured to have played a role in her artistic journey.
Learning disabled artists are so often overlooked yet this is proof that when they are given space in the gallery they connect with audiences. The artists who work at Project Ability are as committed to their craft and they astound us with their talent and their audaciousness. They happily break the rules and make art that is truly original.
For those who missed the 2018 exhibition, Project Ability released a time-lapse video capturing the creation of Kalu’s installations, offering a glimpse into the evolving, transformative nature of her work.
