Nnena Kalu, Rene Matić, Mohammed Sami and Zadie Xa are the four artists shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2025. Their works features in the annual Turner Prize exhibition, taking place in the city of Bradford at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery.
One of the world’s best-known prizes for the visual arts, the Turner Prize aims to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art. The prize is awarded each year to a British artist, and is named in honour of the radical painter JMW Turner. The winner will be announced on the 9 December 2025.
Yorkshire Contemporary has worked in partnership with Bradford 2025, Tate and Bradford District Museums & Galleries to co-curate the Turner Prize 2025.
Visit and explore the Turner Prize 2025 exhibition at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford from 27 September 2025 to 22 February 2026. Admission is free.
You can also join the Turner Prize 2025 co-curators Michael Raymond (Yorkshire Contemporary) or Jill Iredale (Bradford District Museums & Galleries) for an insightful guided tour of the exhibition. The tour will last 50-60 minutes. Look out for sessions labeled ‘CUR’ when you book your tickets.
“Its a beautifully installed show of work by four very different artists and an intriguing snapshot of what’s going on in contemporary art” – Nancy Durrant, The Times
Turner Prize 2025 is a Free Ticketed Event. For all visitor information, opening times and to book tickets click on the booking link.
Produced by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. Delivered in partnership with Tate, Bradford District Museums & Galleries and Yorkshire Contemporary.
Turner Prize 2025 is supported by The John Browne Charitable Trust and The Uggla Family Foundation.
About the artists:
Nnena Kalu
Nominated for her presentation as part of Conversations at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool and Hanging Sculpture 1 to 10 at Manifesta 15, Barcelona. Kalu often starts with cocoon-like shapes which are then bound, layered and wrapped in starkly coloured fabric, tape and other materials to create expressive hanging sculptural installations. Her work is rooted in a process of repeated gestures, as seen in her abstract swirling, drawings on paper. The jury commended her unique command of material, colour and gesture and her highly attuned responses to architectural space.
Rene Matić
Nominated for their solo exhibition AS OPPOSED TO THE TRUTH at CCA Berlin. Matić captures fleeting moments of joy in daily life, and expressions of tenderness within a wider political context. Their work includes highly personal photographs of family, friends and everyday scene, displayed overlapping each other, paired with sound, banners, and installation. The jury were struck by the artist’s ability to express concerns around belonging and identity, conveying broader experiences of a young generation and their community through an intimate and compelling body of work.
Mohammed Sami
Nominated for his solo exhibition After the Storm at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. Sami is known for his large-scale paintings which explore memory and conflict. Sami’s paintings contain haunted, dreamlike scenes. Devoid of people, he paints empty landscapes, interiors and items of furniture that reference conflict whilst encouraging viewers to search for their own meaning. The jury praised the artist’s powerful representation of war and exile, exhibited against the backdrop of Blenheim Palace.
Zadie Xa
Nominated for her presentation Moonlit Confessions Across Deep Sea Echoes: Your Ancestors Are Whales, and Earth Remembers Everything with Benito Mayor Vallejo at Sharjah Biennial 16. Interweaving painting, mural, textile and sound, Xa’s work explores traditions and folklore, speaking to a multitude of cultures. Her vibrant installation blended a soundscape with ethereal paintings, bojagi patchwork and an interactive sculpture of over 650 brass wind chimes inspired by Korean shamanic ritual bells. The jury felt that this cohesive work was a sophisticated development of Xa’s reflective and enchanting practice.
