“Idol, legend, winner, whatever,” were the words on the rosette worn by multimedia artist Nnena Kalu as she accepted the Turner prize at Bradford’s Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in December.
Charlotte Hollinshead, head of artist development at charity ActionSpace, which featured in Community Living recently (Artists in Their Own Right, winter 2025), described the win as “seismic” and a “major, major moment for a lot of people”.
This was no hyperbole. London-based Kalu, who communicates without words, is the first person with a learning disability to win the prize.
Although she is well established in inclusive or so-called “outsider art” circles, her achievement made history, shattering a glass ceiling and propelling her into the mainstream.
A seismic year
My youngest sister Raana has a learning disability and I am among those who felt Kalu’s “seismic” win is the culmination of a significant year for disability representation in arts and culture.
BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing starred a dancer with Down syndrome (Ellie Goldstein). Critically acclaimed BBC drama Sherwood featured a complex character with a learning disability (played by actor Bethany Asher). ITV broadcast its celebrity interview series, The Assembly, again covered by Community Living (Nothing off the Table, summer 2025).
However, if this relative explosion of diversity and inclusion in the mainstream is a tipping point, it should prompt us to acknowledge people’s less recognisable but equally important creative achievements.
Days before Kalu’s win, I was at the winter festival run by my sister’s supported living provider in Hampshire. The event reflected what people can achieve, when supported well, through music, dance and making.
Raana’s collaborative seasonal collages, for example, showed her eye for colour and she is proud of sparking joy with her trademark stripy, lozenge-shaped animals on wheels.
While her artistic creations are not award worthy, creative outlets enable her to express herself and feel valued.
Raana’s everyday success influenced my first book, Made Possible, which highlights her ordinary achievements (such as shopping more independently) alongside more obvious successes of disabled high achievers.
The everyday people and projects shifting perceptions include the creative Sammy’s Foundation in Kent (A Legacy of Precise, Practical Skills, winter 2025). Rights-based group Changing Our Lives’ exhibition in Birmingham, Front and Centre (Made Visible Through Portraits, summer 2025), featured photos of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
This kind of representation is all the more important given that the Labour government is chipping away at welfare and normalising polarising narratives about those needing support.
Such narratives portray people as feckless burdens on society; similar sentiments drive Reform UK’s special educational needs and disabilities overdiagnosis mantra.
Ripple effect
Highlighting people’s potential for creativity leads to a ripple effect.
I recently met young pianist Chapman Shum, who is autistic, has a learning disability and was born blind. The London-based teenager appeared on Channel 4’s The Piano last year.
“Creativity and music in particular is vital to Chapman expressing himself and finding joy in life,” his father Chun told me.
“We share Chapman’s talent and talk about his disability so more people who may have similar support needs might feel empowered to speak up or, just by seeing someone similar, be more visible.”
Creativity of all sorts, from my sister’s wheeled animals to Kalu’s breathtaking creations, enables people to participate while also shifting perceptions. It can also encourage more nuanced explorations about who can contribute to and be involved in society – necessary at a time of division and support cuts.
Amid the stunning visuals of Kalu’s work in the press and social media after her win, the close-up of the artist’s rosette caught my eye, with optimism in the choice of labels “Idol, legend, winner, whatever”. The phrase helps reflect how categories imposed by others are less important than the human at the heart of it all.
A longer version of this article first appeared in Byline Times
