Nnena Kalu, Manifesta 15, installation view (2024). Photo courtesy: Manifesta 15 Barcelona Metropolitana. Photo credit: Ivan Erofeev.
Kunsthall Stavanger is proud to announce the first solo exhibition outside of the UK by British artist Nnena Kalu.
Nnena Kalu is known for her large-scale sculptures and repeating wrapping motifs. The exhibition will focus on her exploration of scale and materiality through sculptural processes.
Kalu’s sculptures are created through repetitive processes using materials like paper, textiles, old VHS tapes, tape and other plastic materials. Her practice explores space, scale, and materiality through binding, layering, and wrapping. This ambitious exhibition, which will primarily consist of new works, will provide an immersive visual experience for visitors.
Kalu is a resident artist at ActionSpace, a visual arts organisation supporting learning disabled artists across London.
Curated by Kristina Ketola Bore.
The exhibition is generously supported by Arts and Culture Norway and Bergesenstiftelsen.
Nnena Kalu (b. 1966, Glasgow) lives and works in London, UK. Her practice is rooted in two-dimensional works, sculptures and installations. Kalu has developed her artistic practice at ActionSpace’s studio in Studio Voltaire since 1999 and is an important member of both Studio Voltaire and ActionSpace’s artistic communities.
Kalu is a participating artist in the 2024 edition of Manifesta 15. 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 works are a part of the Tate Collection (UK), and the Arts Council Collection (UK).
Nnena Kalu, Studio Voltaire elsewhere (2020). Commissioned by Studio Voltaire in partnership with Action Space. Courtesy: The artist and Studio Voltaire. Photo: Francis Ware.
Nnena Kalu, Manifesta 15, installation view (2024). Photo courtesy: Manifesta 15 Barcelona Metropolitana. Photo: Ivan Erofeev.
Installation view of Nnena Kalu, Nnena Kalu at Arcadia Missa, London. Photo courtesy: The Artist and Arcadia Missa, London. Photo: Tom Carter.
Installation view of Nnena Kalu, Nnena Kalu at Arcadia Missa, London. Photo courtesy: The Artist and Arcadia Missa, London. Photo: Tom Carter.
Detail Tube Sculpture 3 (2023). Nnena Kalu at Arcadia Missa, London. Photo courtesy: The Artist and Arcadia Missa, London. Photo: Tom Carter.
Detail Tube Sculpture 17 (2024). Nnena Kalu at Arcadia Missa, London. Photo courtesy: The Artist and Arcadia Missa, London. Photo: Tom Carter.
Nnena Kalu, To All The Kings Who Have No Crowns, (2022). Photo courtesy: Jennifer Lauren Gallery and Carl Freedman Gallery.
Nnena Kalu, Trickster Figures: Sculpture and the Body, MK Gallery (2023). Photo courtesy: The artist, ActionSpace and MK Gallery. Photo: Rob Harris.
Nnena Kalu, Infinite Drawing, Deptford X (2022). Photo courtesy: The artist, ActionSpace and Deptford X. Photo: Corey Bartle-Sanderson.
Nnena Kalu, Studio Voltaire elsewhere (2020). Commissioned by Studio Voltaire in partnership with Action Space. Photo courtesy: The artist and Studio Voltaire. Photo: Francis Ware.