In the exhibition Creations of Care, the British artist Nnena Kalu works with sculpture and drawing. In focus are questions concerning care and how we see the world.
The main themes in Nnena’s exhibition includes:
Care
The experience of the world around us
Imprints of time
This is a brief introduction to the exhibition. If you want to read more, feel free to pick up the exhibition document at the reception desk.
Nnena’s works are dynamic, characterised by expressive movements, explosive energy, and profound care. In this exhibition, we can experience large-scale sculptures, as well as a series of drawings.
In our main gallery, Nnena presents impressive sculptures that resemble enormous, pregnant cocoons. As you approach, you can see layers of textiles and plastic, either tightly wrapped or precisely woven.
Care is a central theme in Nnena’s work. Through actions such as binding, weaving, and layering, she creates a metaphor for the loving and meticulous process behind each artwork. In her sculptures, she often uses everyday materials like Blockbuster video tapes, textiles, tape, and drainage pipes. The affordability and accessibility of these materials are part of the reason they are used, but each material is also carefully chosen by Nnena.
Nnena’s works are physical responses; they are intuitive, immediate, and deeply personal. She often draws with her eyes closed, responding to the sound of the pen, pencil, graphite, or oil pastel on paper. She is driven by an almost internal rhythm. The works are created from an intense presence, where each mark and impression exists as proof of the moment it was made.
Nnena’s drawings are often created in sequences of two, three, or more panels. At first glance, they may seem identical, but each panel contains subtle differences. For us as viewers, they become an invitation to imagine Nnena in the studio, to picture how the work is built up, and to see how pen, pastel, paint, and graphite almost become sculptural materials in Nnena’s hands.
In her drawings, Nnena periodically works with a specific form that she repeats until she has exhausted it. After that, she rarely returns to a previous motif. Repetitive movement, often associated with autism, is a defining element in her sculptures and drawings.
Nnena’s work cannot be separated from her unique perspective and experience. As a Black woman with limited verbal abilities and a learning disability, her work offers visitors the opportunity to see the world through a different lens. Part of the appeal of these works lies in their generosity and the invitation to participate they extend to us.
Nnena Kalu (b. 1966, Glasgow) lives and works in London, UK. Her practice is rooted in two-dimensional works, sculptures and installations. For 25 years, she has been supported by ActionSpace, a UK-based organisation that provides learning disabled artists the resources, opportunities and studio assistance to develop their work. Kalu has grown her practice at ActionSpace’s studio at Studio Voltaire and is an important member of both Studio Voltaire and ActionSpace’s artistic communities.
Kalu’s work was included in the 2024 edition of Manifesta 15. Other recent exhibitions include Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK (2024); Arcadia Missa, London (2024); Infinite Drawing, Deptford X, London, UK (2022); Studio Voltaire Elsewhere, London, UK (2020); Wrapping, Humber Street Gallery, East Yorkshire, UK (2019); Allied Editions, House of Voltaire, Frieze, London, UK (2022); To all the Kings who have no Crowns, Carl Freedman Gallery, Margate, UK (2022).
Kalu’s work is included in the collections of Tate (UK) and the Arts Council (UK). Kalu is the winner of the Mosaic Art Award 2025.