In a landmark moment for Lesotho’s growing art scene, multidisciplinary artist Thato Toeba has been named the winner of the 2025 FNB Art Prize, becoming the latest addition to a prestigious list of African creatives recognised by the continent’s leading contemporary art fair, FNB Art Joburg.
Announced this week, the 15th iteration of the FNB Art Prize celebrates Toeba’s “quiet force” and conceptually rich visual language that, according to the prize jury, set them apart in a competitive field.
“Thato Toeba’s practice holds a quiet force,” read the jury statement. “Their use of collage and assemblage is both deliberate and layered, allowing for a visual language that is conceptually clear and materially rich… What set Toeba apart was the clarity of vision, the formal maturity of the work and the considered pace of their trajectory.”
Born in Maseru in 1990, Toeba is an artist, lawyer, and social sciences researcher whose work with mixed-media photomontage and assemblage interrogates black life, representation, and history.
With academic roots in law (an LLM from Humboldt University, Berlin) and a current two-year residency at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam nearing completion, Toeba’s artistic trajectory has been anything but conventional.
“This means a lot to me,” said Toeba following the announcement. “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. 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. For my practice it is such a momentous mark of an end to my beginnings.”
The award includes a cash prize and a solo exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 2026, which houses the largest art collection on the continent.
Toeba first drew significant attention in 2023 with Phate lia Lekana, their debut solo exhibition at Stevenson Johannesburg, under the gallery’s STAGE initiative.
Their work has since appeared in group exhibitions across South Africa and Lesotho, including 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).
“What makes Toeba’s practice stand out today is how intentional it is,” said Mandla Sibeko, Managing Director of FNB Art Joburg. “In a time when quick visuals and surface-level messages are everywhere, their work takes another route. It is careful, considered, and honest about complexity.”
Faye Mfikwe, FNB Chief Marketing Officer, echoed the sentiment, framing the win as a win not just for the artist but for the continent: “We congratulate Thato Toeba on winning the coveted 2025 FNB Art Prize. Awarding the FNB Art Prize remains a way for us to showcase our commitment to supporting and growing the creative economy across the continent.”
As FNB Art Joburg celebrates its 18th year, Toeba joins a lineage of previous winners, including Dada Khanyisa, Lady Skollie, Haroon Gunn-Salie, and Kudzanai Chiurai, a group of artists known for their bold narratives and innovative practices.
Summary
- In a landmark moment for Lesotho’s growing art scene, multidisciplinary artist Thato Toeba has been named the winner of the 2025 FNB Art Prize, becoming the latest addition to a prestigious list of African creatives recognised by the continent’s leading contemporary art fair, FNB Art Joburg.
- “Their use of collage and assemblage is both deliberate and layered, allowing for a visual language that is conceptually clear and materially rich… What set Toeba apart was the clarity of vision, the formal maturity of the work and the considered pace of their trajectory.
- The award includes a cash prize and a solo exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 2026, which houses the largest art collection on the continent.
Authored by our expert team of writers and editors, with thorough research.
