Marope is the first artist from Botswana to receive the prize.
Kelebogile Marope. Picture: Supplied
Botswana artist Kelebogile Marope has been named the winner of the 2026 FNB Art Prize
The announcement was made on Wednesday, 12 August, ahead of the 19th edition of FNB Art Joburg.
Marope is the first artist from Botswana to receive the prize.
She said the recognition was significant for Botswana’s growing arts scene.
“What you have given to me, you have given me a huge voice. They gave me a voice, and that voice is gonna build companies. That voice is gonna build the infrastructure that Southern Africa needs to be at a point where they can stand on their own,” Marope said.
Kelebogile Marope’s practice
Marope works across sculpture, drawing and mixed media. Her practice explores memory, identity and the spaces people inhabit.
Her work draws on domestic environments and everyday materials. She examines how objects, surfaces and architectural details can preserve memories and reflect experiences of home and belonging.
Born in Ramotswa, Botswana, Marope studied Fine Art at Rhodes University, where she completed a Bachelor of Fine Art and Master of Fine Art.
She has exhibited in Botswana and South Africa and continues to develop her multidisciplinary practice.
FNB Chief Marketing Officer Linda Kachingwe-Sisya said Marope’s recognition reflects the strength and diversity of contemporary African creativity.
“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 added.
The FNB Art Prize forms part of FNB Art Joburg’s efforts to support contemporary African artists and the wider arts ecosystem.
As the 2026 winner, Marope will receive a cash prize and hold a solo exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 2027.
Marope joins previous FNB Art Prize 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.
