Urban Culture

There’s a quiet power in the work of Thato Toeba — and now the art world is paying close attention. The Maseru-born artist has just been named the winner of the 2025 FNB Art Prize, one of the most prestigious accolades on the continent.

Announced by FNB Art Joburg, Africa’s longest-running contemporary art fair, the award recognises artists who push boundaries and open new conversations in powerful, thoughtful ways. Now in its 18th year, the fair continues to champion art that matters — and Thato Toeba’s work does just that.

A moment of affirmation

“To me, this means a lot,” Toeba shared after receiving the news. “When I started five years ago, I felt very insecure about whether I am an artist or not. This is a very affirming answer to that.”

Born in 1990 in Maseru, Lesotho, Toeba is not only an artist, but also a lawyer and researcher. Their artistic practice — rooted in collage and assemblage — explores themes of identity, power, and representation, using layered images, textures, and text to create works that are both visually rich and emotionally resonant.

Their pieces resist easy interpretations. Instead, they ask the viewer to slow down, look again, and find meaning in the complexity — a rarity in today’s fast-paced visual culture.

The jury’s praise

The 2025 jury — made up of Kim Kandan (FNB Art Joburg), Kenneth Montague (WEDGE Collection, Canada), and Janine Gaëlle Dieudji (Smithsonian National Museum of African Art) — described Toeba’s practice as having a “quiet force” and praised the clarity of vision, formal maturity, and material richness of the work.

“What set Toeba apart was the clarity of vision, the formal maturity of the work and the considered pace of their trajectory,” the jury noted. “There is a distinct sense of control in how they handle composition, texture and text.”

From Lesotho to the world

Toeba’s win is not just a personal milestone — it’s a powerful moment for the growing art scene in Lesotho. “Coming from Lesotho, where we are still trying to build an art ecosystem, I think this is such an important and powerful affirmation of what we are doing,” they said.

Their work has been shown in exhibitions across the continent, including Stevenson’s STAGE initiative in Johannesburg, where they held their first solo show, Phate lia Lekana, in 2023. Other recent exhibitions include Today I wish to talk to your dreams (Mount Nelson, Cape Town), Where Do I Begin (Stevenson, Cape Town), and Propelling Otherness (Morija Museum, Maseru).

Toeba is also wrapping up a prestigious two-year residency at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam.

What’s next

As part of the prize, Toeba will receive a cash award and will headline a solo exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 2026 — home to the largest public art collection on the African continent.

“Thato’s work is careful, considered, and honest about complexity,” said Mandla Sibeko, FNB Art Joburg’s Managing Director. “That’s what makes it not just important, but necessary — especially now, when so much is at stake in how stories are told and who gets to tell them.”

Celebrating creativity with impact

FNB’s involvement in the art world goes beyond just sponsorship. Since 2008, the bank has been committed to empowering artists and supporting the creative economy through its Grassroots to Greatness strategy.

“We congratulate Thato Toeba on winning the coveted 2025 FNB Art Prize,” said Faye Mfikwe, Chief Marketing Officer at FNB. “Art leads change — it plays a crucial role in cultural expression, innovation, and shared prosperity. Supporting artists like Thato is part of how we build a better future, together.”

With this win, Thato Toeba joins an esteemed list of past winners including Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude, Dada Khanyisa, Lindokuhle Sobekwa, Lady Skollie, and Wycliffe Mundopa — all of whom have gone on to leave a significant mark in the global art world.

And now, it’s Thato’s time.