FROM THE MARGINS TO THE CENTRE
The Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize 2026 Celebrates a Decade of Championing South Africa's Emerging Artists
The BNAP Foundation and the JSE invite media and the public to the 2026 Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize Awards Evening, to be held at the JSE, Sandton, on Monday 21 April 2026, and to a public walkabout of the exhibition on 16 May 2026 (date to be confirmed).
Johannesburg — The BNAP Foundation, in partnership with the JSE, is proud to announce the 2026 Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize Awards Evening. This year's programme unfolds under the theme From the Margins to the Centre, and carries particular resonance: 2026 marks the BNAP Foundation's 10th anniversary — a decade of placing South Africa's most talented young visual artists at the centre of the country's cultural and creative landscape.
The awards evening takes place on Monday 21 April 2026 at 18:00 at the JSE, Sandton. Guests will be welcomed with live jazz and a reception, followed by the formal awards ceremony, during which the 2026 Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize winner will be announced alongside the recipient of the JSE Art Acquisition Award — presented by Valdene Reddy, CEO of the JSE — to the artist selected for acquisition into the JSE's permanent art collection.
About the Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize
The Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize is an annual award designed to assist young and emerging visual artists under the age of 35 in launching and sustaining careers in the visual arts. As an international flagship programme of the BNAP Foundation, the prize acknowledges excellence across all media and provides the winning artist with a comprehensive support package, including:
• A three-month furnished studio space at Ellis House Art Building, Johannesburg.
• A twelve-week studio residency from 1 June to 31 August 2026.
• Mentorship from leading industry experts.
• Access to a curated programme of workshops.
• A solo exhibition at Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg.
• A materials budget for art production during the residency.
• A monthly living stipend.
In addition, the JSE Art Acquisition Award recognises an artist selected by the JSE's curatorial team for acquisition into the JSE's permanent collection, with the additional benefit of a sponsored solo booth at Latitudes.
The 2026 Finalists
From an exceptional pool of applicants, the following ten artists have been selected as finalists for the 2026 Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize:
Andries Mpho Moroaswe— printmaker and dip-pen artist from Limpopo, whose labour-intensive practice archives the oral histories and generational memories of the apartheid generation.
Drashti Naik— self-taught collage artist from Bulawayo, exploring diaspora, alienation, adaptation, and belonging through recontextualised imagery.
Jakinda Boya— Johannesburg-based painter whose work examines social and psychological decay through the human figure, using acrylic and oil on layered surfaces.
James Ndlovu— printmaking artist trained at Artist Proof Studio, engaging with themes of identity, heritage, and migration.
Kamogelo Mosehla— visual artist from Daveyton whose practice is rooted in improvisation and a sustained engagement with collective histories of dislocation.
Kgothatso Mokale— textile artist and designer from Pretoria, whose work explores queer visibility and reclaims symbols of shame as sites of empowerment.
Khakhalethu Gxiya— oil painter from the Eastern Cape whose gestural, ethereal surfaces interrogate time, space, identity, and the liminal nature of reality.
Sagwadi Mohlabi— self-taught textile artist whose punch-needled tapestries celebrate joy, dance, and play as forms of resistance within black womanhood.
Silindokuhle Shandu— Johannesburg-based artist working in photography, painting, and mixed media, exploring identity, womanhood, and the tension between belonging and otherness.
Siyambonga Magwentshu— painter and draughtsman from the Eastern Cape whose expressive figures give voice to community life, resilience, and underrepresented perspectives.
The 2026 Adjudication Panel
The 2026 prize will be adjudicated by a distinguished panel bringing together decades of expertise in curation, collection management, financial strategy, and global arts advocacy:
Blessing Ngobeni — Founding Director and Chairman, BNAP Foundation
Teresa Firmino — Founding Director and Financial Manager, BNAP Foundation
Olwethu De Vos — Founding Director and Art Director, BNAP Foundation
Palesa Suthane — Senior Art Curator, BNAP Foundation
Talita Swarts — JSE Curator and Collection Manager | CEO and Founder, ARTROUTE | Director, CME Art Advising
Boitumelo Makousu — Latitudes Online Curator | Heritage Scholar
Veronica Very — CEO and Founder, Wonder of Women International
Exhibition and Public Walkabout
The exhibition of finalist works will be on display at the JSE from 21 April 2026. The public is invited to attend a guided walkabout of the exhibition on 16 May 2026 (date to be confirmed). RSVPs for the walkabout are required — details to be announced.
About the BNAP Foundation
The BNAP Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the development of young and emerging South African visual artists. Founded ten years ago by artist Blessing Ngobeni, the Foundation has supported dozens of artists through its annual prize, residency, mentorship, and exhibition programme. Its sponsors include the JSE, Everard Read, Art Angels, DALRO, and Ellis House.
Media Enquiries
BNAP Foundation | operations@bnapfoundation.com