Simnikiwe Buhlungu takes home the 2025/2026 MTN x UJ New Contemporaries Award
On 26 June 2026 Simnikiwe Buhlungu was announced as the winner of the MTN x UJ New Contemporaries Award at the opening ceremony held at the Monument Building during the National Arts Festival in Makhanda. Presented by UJ Art Gallery, in partnership with the MTN SA Foundation and with institutional support from Iziko Museums South Africa, the MTN x UJ New Contemporaries Award (NCA) exhibition – Holding sp(l)ace for the in__between – is curated by Amogelang Maledu and includes the work of Buhlungu, Zara Julius, thato makatu, and Unathi Mkonto.
The winner of the MTN x UJ New Contemporaries Award was selected by an independent panel of adjudicators including Christine Dixie, Shalom Mushwana and Rucera Seethal. As the winner, Buhlungu receives a R100 000 cash prize.
“A huge congratulations to all the artists who participated in this year’s MTN x UJ New Contemporaries Award, and a special acknowledgement to our deserving winner for 2026, Simnikiwe. This recognition is thoroughly well earned, and we eagerly anticipate watching her continue to build on an already compelling career with the same fearlessness and creative conviction that distinguishes her work in this exhibition,” says Dr Dineke Orton, UJ Art Gallery Curator.
Johannesburg-born, Amsterdam-based Buhlungu’s research-led practice explores how knowledge is produced, by whom, and how it circulates. She works across sound, text, installation, and publishing, investigating socio-historical and everyday phenomena through layered ecologies of listening and sensing. Her work often engages questions of (im)material presences and chronologies through methodologies that leave gaps for slippages, questions and that which is not articulable.
Her iterative sound installation presented at the MTN x UJ New Contemporaries Award is rooted in gospel and diasporic memory and engages histories of Black mobility and collective listening. Seethal describes the work as “impactful on entering“, adding that “it holds space definitively for layered engagement.”
“Simnikiwe distils ideas in ways that exist on the edge of accessibility, whilst inviting the viewer to participate in the act of listening, climbing and viewing from a variety of perspectives,” adds Mushwana.
In her acceptance of the award, Buhlungu offered “[a]n infinite, cyclical, abounding overwhelm of gratitude to the teams at UJ, MTN Foundation, National Arts Festival and Iziko. To Sekoto and his phenomenological creative progenies. To friends and family. To PrichA for mixing and mastering. To sound, space, time, and that which is imperceptible. To knowledges. To practice.” Since 2025, Maledu has guided the artists to new levels of depth and confidence, resulting in an exhibition that pulses with youthfulness, creativity, and innovation. “We have been immensely privileged to work with Maledu as the MTN x UJ New Contemporaries Curator, who brought together these remarkable artistic voices with exceptional vision and care. Maledu ensured that each artist’s unique perspective and intention was not only preserved but presented in a striking, cohesive manner. The exhibition stands as a testament to Maledu’s curatorial sensitivity and ability to create a space where diverse practices can converse meaningfully,” says Orton.
Holding sp(l)ace for the in__between, which runs until 5 July 2026 as part of the National Arts Festival, is situated within the complexities of the contemporary moment, refusing the general framework of themed exhibitions and instead makes contemporaneity a character of the exhibition. It engages questions of refusal, collective survival, and Black feminist thought through sound, land, home, and breath. The exhibition reflects a commitment to critical artistic practice and socially engaged cultural dialogue.
“To the NCA artists, the curator, and the incredible team at the National Arts Festival who made this edition such a resounding success – thank you for reminding us of the transformative power of collaboration, creativity, and innovation,” says Orton.
“Our longstanding partners, and family, from the MTN SA Foundation have once again demonstrated their unwavering commitment to the partnership and the NCA programme. We are also privileged and immensely grateful to our additional implementing partners; the esteemed management team for the National Arts Festival in Makhanda, and the Iziko Museums South Africa in Cape Town, for allowing us the opportunity to feature and share this project and partnership throughout 2026. We truly could not have accomplished this without your dedication, support, and interest, and we thank you for this astonishing opportunity to continue the legacy and impact of the MTN x UJ New Contemporaries Award programme,” concluded Orton.
Exhibition Venue: Gallery in the Round and New Gallery, The Monument Building, National Arts Festival, Makhanda
Dates: 26 June – 5 July 2026
About UJ Gallery
The UJ Art Gallery, located at the University of Johannesburg’s Kingsway Campus in Auckland Park, is a dynamic platform for showcasing art. It features a permanent collection of over 2,000 diverse artworks, with a focus on promoting artistic expression, fostering engagement with contemporary art, and nurturing the Johannesburg arts ecosystem. The gallery hosts curated exhibitions, educational programs, and public events, aiming to create a space for dialogue, reflection, and inspiration.
About the MTN Group
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading digital operator whose purpose is leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code ‘MTN’. Our Ambition 2030 strategy seeks to accelerate impact and empower Africa through platforms of choice for consumers, homes and businesses.
