Save the Date: FNB Art Joburg Returns for Its 19th Edition

Fair opens Friday, 4 September to Sunday, 6 September 2026

As the art world once again prepares to turn its gaze towards Johannesburg for a defining moment in contemporary African art, FNB Art Joburg is proud to announce its return for a 19th edition. This year’s fair will take place from Friday, 4 September to Sunday, 6 September 2026 at the Sandton Convention Centre, coinciding with Johannesburg’s 140th anniversary.

“We are incredibly proud of our longstanding partnership with FNB Art Joburg,” says FNB. “Watching the fair grow into one of Africa’s most important contemporary art platforms has been inspiring. For us, this partnership reflects a fundamental belief: that when creativity is nurtured and given room to thrive, it can unlock opportunity, foster connection and drive meaningful societal change.”

FNB Art Joburg has become the pinnacle of the continent’s art calendar, bringing together artists, galleries, collectors and cultural producers to engage with work that shapes how Africa sees itself and how the world sees Africa. At its core, the fair is built as a layered ecosystem that mirrors the breadth, complexity and vitality of the continent’s cultural production.

“Johannesburg has always been a place where ambition meets possibility; where artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers and communities arrive carrying different histories and leave having built something entirely new. It is a city propelled by movement, sustained by inquiry and shaped by people willing to imagine beyond what already exists. That restless energy has made Johannesburg one of the continent’s great cultural engines, and it remains the reason FNB Art Joburg continues to call this city home,” says fair director, Mandla Sibeko.

Fair Highlights

Across its established platforms, gallery HUB, gallery LAB, ORG, AUX, INK, GIF and MAX, FNB Art Joburg has long cultivated multiple points of entry into contemporary African art. This year, that ecosystem expands with the introduction of a new section: ARC.

• gallery HUB showcases Africa’s leading galleries, representing institutionally recognised artists shaping global narratives.
• gallery LAB supports emerging and hybrid spaces that experiment with new modes of presentation and representation.
• ARC expands how contemporary artistic practice is encountered at the fair. Dedicated to artists and works that challenge convention, it creates a space for discovery, dialogue and critical inquiry, foregrounding practices that reflect the immediacy, complexity and evolving concerns of contemporary African art.
• ORG gives visibility to non-profit and artist-run initiatives driving cultural infrastructure and community building.
• AUX offers talks, screenings and performances that invite audiences into meaningful conversations about art and its contexts.
• INK (formerly ETC) celebrates print culture, spanning critical writing, art publications, artist books and limited-edition prints, recognising language and documentation as central to cultural legacy.
• GIF focuses on photography as one of South Africa’s most significant artistic mediums, tracing both its histories and its futures.
• MAX presents large-scale installations that reimagine scale, space and audience engagement.

Each section provides audiences with multiple points of entry into contemporary art and its ideas. Together, they reflect FNB Art Joburg’s role as a living platform that educates, connects and nurtures audiences while sustaining the commercial ecosystem that enables artists to thrive.

Open City Returns

Running alongside the fair, Open City returns from 20 August to 14 September 2026 in partnership with Brand South Africa.

The initiative transforms Johannesburg into an extended exhibition, connecting art, music, fashion, design, food and performance across the city. Serving as an access point to the fair, Open City demonstrates that FNB Art Joburg extends far beyond the convention centre by championing the city itself and the cultural workers who keep Johannesburg’s creative spirit alive.

Founded in 1886 and celebrating its 140th anniversary this year, Johannesburg remains the fair’s compass and muse: restless, abundant and full of possibility.

“We are excited to welcome audiences back this September when our 19th edition will celebrate Johannesburg’s enduring role as a meeting place for cultural breakthroughs,” says Sibeko. “Through inclusivity, inquiry and the incubation of new ideas, FNB Art Joburg continues to champion the innovation shaping the continent’s place within the future of the global art ecosystem.”