A new chapter has been written in African contemporary art.
Botswana artist Kelebogile Marope has been named the recipient of the 2026 FNB Art Prize, marking a major milestone for her career and for Botswana’s growing contemporary art scene.
The announcement comes as FNB Art Joburg prepares for its 19th edition. As Africa’s leading and longest-running contemporary art fair, FNB Art Joburg has positioned the FNB Art Prize as one of its most significant commitments to supporting artists beyond the fair itself.
For Marope, the recognition carries another historic distinction.
She is the first artist from Botswana to receive the FNB Art Prize.
A New Voice in African Sculpture
The 2026 FNB Art Prize jury was made up of Kim Kandan, Fair Manager and FNB Art Joburg Representative; Mike Mavura, Curator; and Véronique Savigné, Interior Designer and Art Collector.
Their decision recognised an artist whose work challenges expectations while remaining deeply connected to place, memory and everyday experience.
The jury described Marope’s practice as a compelling expansion of contemporary African sculpture.
They were particularly impressed by the way she has claimed a traditionally male-dominated medium and developed it through skill, precision and imagination.
Her work, they noted, pushes the boundaries of sculpture while creating a distinctive material language rooted in place.
That combination of technical ability, imagination and a strong sense of identity ultimately set her work apart.
Turning the Everyday Into Art
Marope works across sculpture, drawing and mixed media.
At the heart of her practice is an exploration of memory, identity and the spaces people inhabit.
Her inspiration often comes from domestic environments and everyday materials.
Objects that might ordinarily be overlooked become something else in her hands.
Surfaces, architectural details and familiar objects become repositories of lived experience. Through a careful and process-led approach, Marope examines how the rituals of everyday life influence our understanding of home, belonging and collective memory.
Her work asks viewers to look again at things they may normally take for granted.
The familiar becomes unfamiliar.
The ordinary becomes significant.
And the spaces we call home become places through which memory and identity can be understood.
From Ramotswa to the FNB Art Prize
Born in Ramotswa, Botswana, Marope has steadily developed a multidisciplinary practice that has earned recognition across Botswana and South Africa.
Her academic journey includes a Bachelor of Fine Art followed by a Master of Fine Art at Rhodes University.
She has exhibited in both Botswana and South Africa while continuing to expand her artistic practice across different mediums.
Now, the FNB Art Prize adds another defining moment to that journey.
Her selection is not only recognition of her individual achievements. It also shines a brighter light on Botswana’s contemporary art scene and the creative talent emerging from across the continent.
A Historic First for Botswana
For almost two decades, the FNB Art Prize has sought to recognise artists whose practices contribute to the conversations shaping contemporary African art.
Marope’s win continues that tradition while opening a new chapter.
She becomes the first Botswana-based artist to receive the prize.
Mandla Sibeko, Director of FNB Art Joburg, said the annual prize recognises artists whose practices expand the conversations surrounding contemporary African art.
He highlighted Marope’s sensitivity to material, memory and lived experience, describing her ability to transform everyday experiences into something deeply resonant.
Her recognition, he added, also reflects the depth of artistic excellence emerging from across the continent.
Following a Distinguished Line of Winners
Marope joins a distinguished group of previous FNB Art Prize recipients.
The list includes 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.
As the recipient of the 16th FNB Art Prize, Marope now becomes part of a legacy spanning artists and practices from across the African continent.
Her addition brings Botswana into that story in a significant way.
FNB: Investing in Africa’s Creative Future
For FNB, the prize represents more than an annual award.
Linda Kachingwe-Sisya, FNB Chief Marketing Officer, congratulated Marope and highlighted the personal and universal qualities within her work.
She described the artist’s achievement as evidence of the strength, diversity and global relevance of contemporary African creativity.
Kachingwe-Sisya also pointed to FNB’s longstanding partnership with Art Joburg and its focus on creating platforms where African artists can develop, gain recognition and contribute to global cultural conversations.
She described supporting the arts as an investment in Africa’s future, with creativity playing an important role in shaping culture, challenging convention and telling the stories that define the continent.
More Than a Prize
The FNB Art Prize forms part of FNB Art Joburg’s broader commitment to developing a stronger and more self-reliant contemporary African art ecosystem.
The objective extends beyond recognising artists.
It is about creating opportunities for sustained careers, strengthening artistic networks and expanding the stories represented within the global cultural landscape.
Marope’s recognition therefore arrives at an important moment.
Her work demonstrates what can happen when artistic excellence, cultural identity and an individual creative language meet.
It also reinforces the importance of discovering talent wherever it emerges.
Johannesburg Exhibition Coming in 2027
Marope’s prize comes with more than recognition.
As the 2026 FNB Art Prize winner, she will receive a cash prize and a solo exhibition at Johannesburg Art Gallery, home to the continent’s largest art collection.
The exhibition is scheduled to take place in 2027.
That exhibition will give audiences another opportunity to experience Marope’s work and the ideas that have taken her from Ramotswa to one of the most significant platforms for contemporary African art.
Botswana’s Creative Moment
There is something particularly powerful about Marope’s achievement.
Her work is rooted in the places, objects and experiences that make up everyday life. Yet the questions she explores — memory, identity, belonging and home — reach far beyond one location.
Now, those ideas are travelling further.
From Ramotswa to Johannesburg, Marope’s artistic journey has reached a new milestone.
And with the 2026 FNB Art Prize, Botswana has not simply gained a new award winner.
It has gained a historic first.
Kelebogile Marope is now part of the continuing story of contemporary African art — and her next chapter will unfold on the walls of Johannesburg Art Gallery in 2027.
