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Botswana visual artist and sculptor Kelebogile Marope takes on the baton from Lesotho’s Thato Toeba as the 2026 FNB Art Prize winner. The announcement was made in Johannesburg on Wednesday 12 August and the artist's relationship with South Africa dates back many years as she studied Fine Arts at Rhodes University in Makhanda from 2009 to 2013. Her artworks have been exhibited across both countries.
Gratitude and dismantling self-doubt
Kelebogile’s sculptures and drawings explore the relationship between space and memory, and identity. She draws from people’s life experiences to examine how the human understanding of memory collides with home and a sense of belonging.
After saying this victory feels a little surreal, the artist chuckles and corrects herself to say it is immensely surreal. After so many years of grinding, developing the work and honing her craft, a humble Kelebogile still feels that nothing could have prepared her for this win. She feels grateful, saying she never expected this level of recognition.
"Your mind goes into slow motion, you replay all the years of questioning yourself when you felt like what am I even doing," she shares.
While this is not her first award, Kelebogile, who won Botswana’s Thapong Artist of the Year (TAYA) Awards in 2015, says this is more than just a cash prize and a space in which to exhibit.
"It really dismantles the notion of a struggling artist who will never get a seat at certain tables. It's like a big brother saying I've got you, let me show you how to navigate this space."
What this means for Africa
Now in its 19th year, the FNB Art Prize is a platform that doesn’t only support African artists but is committed to making a sustainable difference. Kelebogile is not oblivious to this or to the continent’s struggles when it comes to the arts.
Looking at the bigger picture, Kelebogile's observation is that Western African countries like Nigeria are way ahead of Southern Africa in the creative economy. Their industry is thriving.
"Some of the Southern African countries are not really breaking the ground. For FNB to be able to elevate an artist from Botswana is huge because it’s almost as if we're on the periphery."
The adjudicators commended Kelebogile for bravely taking up space in a traditionally male-dominated medium as her own, perfecting her craft with a level of skill and precision that set her work apart, and describing her artistic practice as representing a compelling expansion of contemporary African sculpture.
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