Nnena Kalu’s triumph for neurodivergent art has rattled a few cages. So let me put those carping critics right |
Nnena Kalu is an artist. She is also, as of this week, a winner of the Turner prize. Her work – twisting ribbon forms made from old VHS tape, plastic and strips of fabric – has been praised for its “finesse of scale, composition and colour” (the judges), its “emphasis … on the visual, tactile and experiential in art” (Mark Hudson, the Independent) and for being “so full of life and energy … so embodied, so sensuous” (Adrian Searle, this newspaper).
As well as being an artist, Kalu also happens to be autistic, has a learning disability and does not communicate verbally as much as many neurotypical people (she is supported by the organisation ActionSpace). These things shouldn’t matter, and perhaps one day they won’t. However, neurodivergent artists have not historically been given much space by the art world, especially not those with learning disabilities. Four years ago, when Project Art Works – a collective of neurodivergent artists – was nominated for the prize, its CEO, Kate Adams, recounted to me how she was told by a museum professional: “I don’t think it’s right [to have] people with learning disabilities in an exhibition downstairs with an artist of calibre upstairs. They shouldn’t be in the same building.”
So this prize for Kalu feels like a powerful moment of acceptance. Having a differently wired brain, a communication difference or a learning disability does not preclude someone from........