FNB Art Joburg 2026: Champagne, camera obscuras and a reckoning with women’s role in liberation
From opening night's champagne-fuelled crowd to MBR Projects' urgent 'Women's March to Freedom' exhibition, here's what stood out at the 19th edition of FNB Art Joburg.
FNB Art Joburg 2026 opened on the first Thursday of spring, living up to its hype with over 100 artists, galleries and exhibitors showcased across eight curated sections. The Sandton Convention Centre hosted the event, which featured a new addition called ARC, dedicated to solo presentations. Guests were treated to an electric atmosphere, with champagne flowing and artists and exhibitors engaging in lively conversations.
One standout work was George Mahashe's camera obscura installation, which allowed viewers to experience the fair as if they were part of the artwork itself.
A special highlight was the 2026 FNB Art Prize winner, Botswana-born sculptor Kelebogile Marope. Marope's practice explores memory and belonging through domestic spaces and everyday materials, earning her a solo exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 2027. Meanwhile, the week also saw a pointed conversation about the 1956 women's march to the Union Buildings, led by figures such as Lilian Ngoyi, Rahima Moosa, Helen Joseph and Sophie Williams-De Bruyn.
Curated by MBR Projects, the exhibition "Women's March to Freedom" revisited this pivotal moment in South African history and will be accompanied by a panel discussion on Saturday, 5 September, featuring academic Hlonipha Mokoena, Nonhlanhla Kumalo (Alf Kumalo's daughter), Christa Dee and Lindiwe Mngxitama.
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