Botswana artist Kelebogile Marope has become the first artist from her country to win the FNB Art Prize, securing funding and a major Johannesburg solo exhibition.
The milestone places Marope among a growing group of contemporary African artists receiving recognition beyond their home countries, while creating another pathway for Botswana’s creative talent onto the continental art stage.
Marope was announced as the 2026 FNB Art Prize winner ahead of the 19th edition of FNB Art Joburg, which takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre from 4 to 6 September 2026.
Working across sculpture, drawing and mixed media, Marope explores the relationship between memory, identity and the spaces people inhabit.
Her work draws on domestic environments, ordinary objects, surfaces and architectural details, examining how everyday surroundings can become repositories of personal and collective memory.
The 2026 jury said Marope stood out for expanding the possibilities of contemporary African sculpture and developing a distinctive approach to materials.
“Kelebogile Marope’s practice represents a compelling expansion of contemporary African sculpture,” the jury said.
The judges also highlighted her success in working within a traditionally male-dominated medium and her ability to develop a practice rooted in place while remaining imaginative and experimental.
The 2026 jury comprised FNB Art Joburg fair manager Kim Kandan, curator Mike Mavura and interior designer and collector Véronique Savigné.
For Marope, the award represents another significant step in a career developed between Botswana and South Africa.
Born in Ramotswa, Botswana, she completed a Bachelor of Fine Art followed by a Master of Fine Art at Rhodes University.
She has subsequently exhibited in Botswana and South Africa while developing a multidisciplinary practice focused on memory, belonging and lived experience.
Her selection is particularly significant because she becomes the first artist from Botswana to receive the FNB Art Prize.
Linda Kachingwe-Sisya, FNB Chief Marketing Officer, said Marope’s achievement reflects the increasing strength and international relevance of contemporary African creativity.
“We’d like to congratulate Kelebogile Marope on being named the recipient of the 2026 FNB Art Prize. Her work is both deeply personal and universally resonant, demonstrating the power of art to connect us to place, memory and one another,” Kachingwe-Sisya said.
She said FNB’s longstanding partnership with Art Joburg is intended to create opportunities for African artists to progress from emerging talent towards greater international recognition.
For almost two decades, FNB Art Joburg has sought to strengthen the contemporary African art ecosystem by bringing artists, galleries, collectors and cultural organisations together while creating opportunities extending beyond the annual fair.
The FNB Art Prize forms a central part of that approach.
Previous recipients include 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.
Marope now joins that group while bringing Botswana into the prize’s growing continental story.
The recognition also comes with practical support for the next stage of her career.
As the 2026 winner, Marope will receive a cash prize and the opportunity to stage a solo exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 2027.
That platform provides more than recognition. It gives an African artist access to a major public cultural institution and an opportunity to introduce a substantial body of work to new audiences.
Kachingwe-Sisya said investment in creativity should ultimately create pathways through which African talent can be discovered, developed and celebrated.
“We believe that investing in creativity is an investment in Africa’s future,” she said.
For Marope, winning the 2026 prize transforms that investment into an immediate opportunity: financial support, greater continental visibility and a solo exhibition at one of Johannesburg’s major cultural institutions.
For Botswana’s contemporary art community, her achievement also breaks new ground.
Marope is no longer simply participating in the expanding conversation around contemporary African art.
As the first Botswana artist to win the FNB Art Prize, she is helping broaden whose work gets recognised within it.
