THE 19th iteration of FNB Art Joburg once more lived up to its reputation as Africa’s leading and longest existing contemporary art fair showcasing the foremost contributors to the contemporary African art ecosystem by drawing art enthusiasts over a three day duration of the first week of spring around the continent’s culture capital, Johannesburg.
The popular fair commenced with an exclusive media junket on September 3 for the viewing of a unique two-part exhibition titled The BMW Art Generation Vol. IV, which explored Indigenous knowledge Systems (IKS), conceptualised by curator and fair manager Kim Kandan, at the BMW Art Haus in Parktown North and the MAX section at FNB Art Joburg at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Now in its fourth year, the 2026 initiative returned under the theme From Whose Waters Do We Drink?
Through contemporary African art, conversation and encounter, The BMW Art Generation Vol. IV invited guests into a shared exploration of knowledge, creativity and cultural exchange.
The title stemmed from a 2025 conference held to reassess the state of the arts in Africa, at which Raphael Chikukwa, the director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, urged attendees to consider the sapidity of the waters from where we drink.
The media junket offered an interactive tour of the exhibition, a look at key artwork highlights, and direct access to spokespeople and featured artists before the public opening. The artworks were by a diverse roster of artists who included British sculptor Yinka Shonibare, Zimbabwe’s Portia Zvavahera, South Africa’s Lebohang Kganye, Brazil’s Paulo Nazareth, et al.
Invited members of the Fourth Estate were addressed by Marcelle Duncan (Head of Brand, BMW South Africa) and thereafter taken on a guided exhibition walkabout of From Whose Waters Do We Drink?, conducted by Nicole Siegenthaler, the Project Manager of BMW Art Generation.
Concurrent with the exhibition was a reading room and bookstore by Jonathan Ball publishers which offered a select library of literary titles which expanded on the display, its artists and the ideas shaping this year’s edition.
Subsequent to the walkabout, the media corps was then transported to the Sandton Convention Centre where the proper fair was based, for the walkabout through the MAX section of the exhibition, as well as pre-public opening evening festivities.
The fair’s main venue itself was divided into six curated sections: gallery HUB, MAX, gallery LAB, ARC, ORG, INK, and AUX – each designed to highlight a distinct facet of contemporary art, from established galleries and large-scale installations to experimental practices, non-profit initiatives, and emerging talent.
Featured within the fair were quadruple initiatives, viz., the BMW Collectors Co., an initiative developed to champion Africa’s art market by cultivating a new patronage which would grow artists’ support systems; The BMW Art Generation, a convening bringing cultural excellence together for art enthusiasts on African soil.
Journeys, a pioneering international VIP programme which provided guests privileged access to the cultural ecosystem in sub-Saharan Africa; and Open City, an active means of fostering a sustainable ecosystem which offer cultural practitioners the opportunity to reach a wider audience of culture consumers.
This year’s edition featured exhibitors from, inter alia, the DRC’s Galerie Malabo, Botswana’s Ora Loapi Centre for the Arts and TBP Artist Collective, Nigeria’s Wunika Mukan and Yenwa Gallery, Tanzania’s Rangi Gallery, Zambia’s Modzi Arts and Ethiopia’s The Space Ethiopia.
Familiar local representatives included Artist Proof Studio which returned to the fair with a presentation marking its 35th anniversary through a selection of archival works, new editions and ambitious large-format prints titled Artist Proof Studio at 35: Archive, Scale and Continuity – which reflected the depth and diversity of artists who have worked with APS.
Among APS’ highlights was Bambo Sibiya’s series of Nelson Mandela portraits, each accompanied by Madiba’s quotations which included the following: “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.”
An artist who represents a new generation of artists to watch, Jason Langa – an alumnus of the RMB Talent Unlocked programme – demonstrated the increasingly diverse ways in which emerging artists are building their careers, through his presentations such as “Sisters in the Prairie”.
The figurative painter and printmaker’s Booth INK 6 buzzed with curious collectors and visitors throughout the fair.
Another off-site activation of the fair occurred with the public opening of Lesotho artist Thato Toeba’s solo exhibition titled, I beat you because I love you, at the Johannesburg Art Gallery on Sunday. The artist, lawyer and social sciences researcher’s display also formed part of Arts Alive Joburg.
The 2025 FNB Art Prize winner and the first artist from that country to receive the prize, they were recognised by the 2025 jury for the clarity, formal maturity and considered pace of their practice.
Working across collage, photomontage and assemblage, they explore the complex co-existence of love and violence, as well as questions of identity, power, history and representation through a deeply layered visual language.
Inviting the viewer to pause and reflect, Toeba’s exhibition attracted the curiosity of notable visitors such as Lindiwe Mazibuko – the erstwhile parliamentary leader of the Democratic Alliance and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of South Africa.
Now in its 15th iteration, the FNB Art Prize has become an important platform for recognising and supporting significant contemporary practices from across the African continent.
Its significance lies not only in the award itself, but in the sustained opportunity it creates for artists to develop their practices, reach new audiences and enter into dialogue with major cultural institutions.
Other activities around the fair included discussions, music, performance, fashion, local cuisine complimented by South Africa’s finest Methode Cap Classique and wines, as well as after parties.
And although the main fair itself occurred over three days, related initiatives such as Journeys and Open City offered activities which unfolded over seven to sixteen days, respectively.
Having successfully navigated another staging as its founder Mandla Sibeko and his team now prepare for its 20th edition in 2027, this year’s FNB Art Joburg fair coincided with its base, Johannesburg’s 140th anniversary celebrations – with cause to further stamp its footprint upon the continent’s art ecosystem.
Image Jacob MAWELA (Nicole Siegenthaler, the Project Manager of The BMW Art Generation limned explaining a Yinka Shonibare sculpture forming part of the exhibition The BMW Art Generation Vol. IV during a media walkabout at the BMW Art.)
