The MTN x UJ New Contemporaries Award has named Simnikiwe Buhlungu as its 2025/2026 winner, with the announcement made at the National Arts Festival opening ceremony in Makhanda.
Johannesburg-born, Amsterdam-based artist Simnikiwe Buhlungu has been named the winner of the 2025/2026 MTN x UJ New Contemporaries Award. (Image supplied.)
The award is presented by the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Art Gallery in collaboration with the MTN SA Foundation, with additional support from Iziko Museums South Africa.
A panel comprising Christine Dixie, Shalom Mushwana and Rucera Seethal adjudicated this year’s entries and selected Johannesburg-born, Amsterdam-based artist Simnikiwe Buhlungu as the overall winner, awarding her a R100,000 cash prize.
From Johannesburg to Amsterdam: a sound-led practice rooted in listening and memory
Buhlungu’s practice moves between sound, installation, publishing and text, often focusing on how knowledge is formed, carried and experienced across different contexts.
Her award-winning installation draws on gospel influence and diasporic memory, using sound as a way to explore histories of movement, belonging and collective listening.
The work unfolds as an immersive environment where audiences are invited to engage physically and conceptually through sound and space.
Adjudicator Rucera Seethal described the installation as immediately striking, noting its ability to sustain “layered engagement” beyond first encounter.
Shalom Mushwana highlighted how the work balances complexity with accessibility, describing it as an invitation to actively participate in listening from multiple perspectives.
Exploring sound, land and belonging
Buhlungu’s work forms part of Holding sp(l)ace for the in__between, this year’s New Contemporaries exhibition curated by Amogelang Maledu.
The show also includes work by Zara Julius, Thato Makatu and Unathi Mkonto, bringing together artists whose practices engage ideas of sound, land, home, breath and belonging.
Rather than centring a single theme, the exhibition creates space for different approaches to coexist, reflecting on contemporary life through varied artistic languages.
Curatorial reflections
UJ Art Gallery curator Dr Dineke Orton congratulated the participating artists and acknowledged Buhlungu’s win as a defining moment in this year’s exhibition.
She also noted the importance of the curatorial approach in shaping the project, highlighting the way Maledu’s direction brought together distinct practices into a cohesive presentation.
Holding sp(l)ace for the in__between runs until 5 July 2026 at the Monument Building as part of the National Arts Festival in Makhanda, offering visitors a chance to experience this year’s selected works in person.
