Now in its 19th edition, FNB Art Joburg has built its reputation as Africa's leading and longest-running contemporary art fair, and the FNB Art Prize sits at the centre of that legacy one of the fair's most meaningful commitments to growing the continent's cultural landscape well beyond the exhibition halls. This year's jury, made up of Fair Manager Kim Kandan, curator Mike Mavura and interior designer and art collector Véronique Savigné, didn't hold back in their praise.

"Kelebogile Marope's practice represents a compelling expansion of contemporary African sculpture," the jury said in their decision. "She claimed a traditionally male-dominated medium as her own, perfecting her craft with a level of skill and precision that set her work apart. The jury was particularly impressed by her ability to push the boundaries of sculpture, creating a practice that is both deeply rooted in place and boldly imaginative."

Marope's work moves across sculpture, drawing and mixed media, built around a central question: how do memory, identity and the spaces we live in shape one another? Drawing from domestic environments and the objects we handle without thinking twice, her practice treats the ordinary a surface, a fixture, a household object as something quietly holding onto lived experience. The result is work that asks viewers to look again at what's familiar, and to reconsider what home and belonging actually mean.

Born in Ramotswa, Botswana, Marope studied for her Bachelor and Master of Fine Art at Rhodes University before steadily building a practice with growing recognition across the region. Her win places her alongside a formidable list of past recipients, including Thato Toeba, Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude, Lindokuhle Sobekwa, Dada Khanyisa, Wycliffe Mundopa, Lady Skollie, Bronwyn Katz, Haroon Gunn-Salie, Peju Alatise, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Turiya Magadlela, Portia Zvavahera, Nelisiwe Xaba, Mocke J van Veuren, Kudzanai Chiurai and Cedric Nunn.

"Kelebogile's work demonstrates a remarkable sensitivity to material, memory and lived experience, transforming the everyday into something profoundly resonant," said Mandla Sibeko, director of FNB Art Joburg. "As the first artist from Botswana to receive the prize, her recognition also reflects the depth of artistic excellence emerging from across the continent."

Linda Kachingwe-Sisya, FNB Chief Marketing Officer, echoed the sentiment, framing the win within FNB's near two-decade partnership with Art Joburg: "We believe that investing in creativity is an investment in Africa's future. By supporting platforms that champion both emerging and established artists, we are helping to create pathways for talent to be discovered, celebrated and recognised on a global stage."

As the 2026 winner, Marope receives a cash prize alongside a solo exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery home to the continent's largest art collection set to take place in 2027. It's a fitting next chapter for an artist whose practice has always been about paying closer attention to the things we walk past every day.

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