Drawing 25
- Artist: Nnena Kalu
- Date: 2022
- Medium: 2 drawings, ink and graphite on paper
- Dimensions: support: 1673 × 1360 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Drawing 25” by Nnena Kalu. It’s a pair of 2022 drawings on yellow paper, set side‑by‑side. Each sheet shows a swirling vortex made of fine‑liner pen and graphite, almost hypnotic in its repetition. Kalu created both at once during a live drawing session, layering the same blue pen over the first circle‑making line. Her hand and the rhythm of her arm are captured in the marks, giving the work a sense of motion that feels very personal.
The artist usually layers pastel crayons for these vortexes, but here she stayed with the pen, a subtle shift that points to a change in her practice after the pandemic lockdowns. The intensity of the lines suggests a burst of creativity that was held back for months. It’s a reminder of how the isolation forced a different kind of connection – through the simple act of drawing.
Kalu has been working with Action Space, an organisation supporting artists with learning disabilities, since 1999, and this piece reflects both her long‑standing exploration of mark‑making and a response to recent global events.
See it in person
Drawing 25 is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
