Africa’s longest-running contemporary art fair, FNB Art Joburg, returns for its 19th consecutive year at the Sandton Convention Centre from 4 to 6 September 2026. The fair promises to immerse visitors in the very best of the continent’s art, artists, and galleries, celebrating Africa’s creative excellence.
Since its inception, Art Joburg has brought together artists, galleries, collectors, writers, thinkers and enthusiasts.
Here’s what to look forward to at FNB Art Joburg 2026
Vela Projects presents Songezo Zantsi at FNB Art Joburg
In its debut participation in FNB Art Joburg, Vela Projects presents new work by artist Songezo Zantsi.
This new work developed from the artists ongoing engagement with Iya embovaneni vila ndini (2026) which marks a departure from Zantsi’s earlier reliance on photographic references. The anthill has emerged as a recurring motif, appearing across imagined and remembered landscapes.
This shift allows for a hazier, more atmospheric style that captures the act of remembering itself. Not the sharp
clarity of a photograph but rather the softened edges of something recalled. To look into these paintings is to understand that memory, like the anthill, is built grain by grain, each brushstroke, a small labour of preservation.
What emerges is a body of work that appreciates the value of other perspectives; the ant’s view, the
overlooked ground, the haziness of recollection. The recurring anthill becomes a point of attention,
inviting its viewer to reconsider scale, place and their relationship to the world around them.
Songezo will also be doing a Walkabout at the Fair.
Zeitz MOCAA at FNB Art Joburg
Cape Town-based Pan-African institution, Zeitz MOCAA, is making its mark at the 2026 edition of FNB Art Joburg, with a curated programme of talks, networking opportunities and a highlight presentation of A Black Consciousness of Space and Time by Nolan Oswald Dennis.
Zeitz MOCAA revisits UNDERSTUDIES (2024–2025), the first major South African museum solo exhibition by Johannesburg-based artist Nolan Oswald Dennis.
UNDERSTUDIES positioned the exhibition as a site of experimentation, where diagrams, drawings, models and collaborative gestures became ways of interrogating geo-cosmic epistemologies and political readings of time. Following this proposition, A Black Consciousness of Spacetime considers Dennis’s practice as a rethinking of space as a relational and transforming field shaped by geological, ecological, metaphysical, political, social and pedagogical frameworks.
Cost: Tickets to FNB Art Joburg are R200pp per day; R400pp for a weekend pass. Book via tixsa
When: Thursday to Sunday, 3 to 6 September 2026. Thursday: VIP Preview Night from 6pm to 9pm | Friday: VIP Hour – 11am to 12pm; Public hours – 12am to 8pm | Saturday: VIP Hour – 11am to 12pm; Public hours 12am-7pm | Sunday: VIP Hour – 11am to 12pm; Public hours 12am-5pm
Where: Sandton Convention Centre, 161 Maude St, Sandown, Sandton
More at FNB Art Joburg
gallery HUB – The best of contemporary Pan-African art
The Fair’s central section is a curated space that showcases the very best in contemporary African art alongside significant international contributions. Reflecting the Fair’s ethos of prioritising quality over quantity, this section brings together leading galleries whose artists shape conversations across the continent and beyond.
Visitors can look forward to discovering thought-provoking work from respected exhibitors including blank, Eclectica Contemporary, Everard Read, First Floor Gallery Harare, Gallery MOMO, Goodman Gallery, Stevenson, Suburbia Contemporary, This is Not a White Cube, kumalo | turpin, and Candice Berman.
gallery LAB – Forward thinking works to keep on your radar
This experimental section sets the stage for emerging and mid-level galleries with a space to explore new approaches, challenge conventions and connect with broader audiences.
The 2026 Gallery LAB exhibitors include Vela Projects, David Krut Projects, Galerie MALABO, CROME Yellow M&C, ORA LOAPI, Reservoir, Wunika Mukan, AMG Projects, Rangi Gallery, Modzi Arts, Yenwa Gallery, The Space Ethiopia, Loft3 Art Gallery, TBP Artist Collective, and Forster Gallery.
MAX – Elaborate and out-of-the-box installations
Think ambitious, large-scale installations and artworks that extend beyond the limits of a conventional gallery booth for Gallery MAX at FNB Art Joburg. This space allows artists and galleries to showcase pieces that demand more room, whether through size, scale, or immersive presence.
ETC – Explore books, prints and rare publications
The Reading Room is a hub for books, prints, catalogues and zines celebrating contemporary African art. Featuring Artist Proof Studios, Jonathan Ball/Exclusive Books, Loft Editions, Fresco Gallery, ArtThrob, Pulp Paper Works, iwalewa books and the BMW Reading Lounge, it’s the perfect space to discover, learn and be inspired.
ORG – The spotlight is on museums and art centres
At this year’s FNB Art Joburg, a dedicated section reimagines how the public connects with art-centred organisations such as museums, universities and private cultural institutions. Rather than viewing these bodies from a distance, visitors are invited to engage directly through a dynamic, hands-on approach.
Audiences will be able to explore ideas, projects and conversations presented by leading organisations, including Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), which revisits UNDERSTUDIES (2024–2025), the first major South African museum solo exhibition by Johannesburg-based artist Nolan Oswald Dennis.
AUX – Settle in for screenings, talks and special lectures
The Talks & Ideas programme connects leading voices from the art world directly to the public. Through engaging talks, screenings, public lectures and audio essays. The lineup includes a wide range of topics shaping contemporary art today, gaining insight into critical debates, emerging trends and the ideas driving Africa’s creative landscape. Full programme to be released soon.
GIF – A charged curation of film and photography works
Here you can experience innovative works by artists working in dynamic mediums, from compelling photographic series to immersive film projects. FNB Art Joburg’s GIF platform highlights creative storytelling and visual experimentation, offering audiences a unique perspective on contemporary African art through the lens of image-making and moving pictures.
How to book tickets
There is also a special VIP event hosted the night before the art fair’s weekend opening that art lovers can RSVP for.
Cost: R200pp (day pass) | R400pp (weekend pass) | R1500pp (VIP RSVP: 3 Sep) | Book via TixSA
When: Thursday, 3 September to Sunday, 6 September | Thursday, 6pm – 9pm (VIP RSVP) | Friday, 12pm to 8pm | Saturday, 12pm to 7pm | Sunday, 12m to 5pm
Where: Sandton Convention Centre,161 Maude St, Sandown, Sandton
Website: artjoburg.com
Email: [email protected]
