Bronwyn Katz
VISUAL ARTS
Creating sculptural and installation works that explore language, memory and land through a deeply personal and speculative lens, Bronwyn Katz is the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Arts. At the heart of her practice is an imagined creole language—an evolving system of notation that translates gesture, sound and embodied knowledge into material form.
Drawing on fragmentary histories and oral traditions, Katz treats land as a living archive—one that holds memory, trauma and presence. Her works use line, texture, rhythm and weight as tools of meaning, proposing alternative ways of recording and transmitting knowledge beyond written language.
Based in Cape Town, Katz has exhibited widely both locally and internationally, contributing to a vital reimagining of what constitutes the South African archive today. Katz has participated in major international group exhibitions including the 59th Venice Biennale (2022), the New Museum Triennial (2021), the Biennale of Sydney (2020), and the Biennale of Lyon (2019). She is a founding member of iQhiya, an eleven-woman artist collective that has performed at institutions including Documenta 14.
Gabi Motuba
JAZZ
Gabi Motuba, the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, is a Mamelodi-born, Johannesburg-based vocalist, composer and educator at the Wits School of Arts. Her practice is grounded in deep listening, intellectual inquiry and a profound commitment to sound as both discipline and calling.
Working across jazz, avant-garde and experimental forms, Motuba creates music that engages history, philosophy and spirituality. From her debut Tefiti – Goddess of Creation (2018) to the politically charged The Wretched (2020), her work positions sound as a space for reflection and resistance. Her latest album, The Sabbath (2024), expands her compositional voice through a richly layered ensemble, blending classical, jazz and global influences into a meditative and immersive sonic experience.
Alongside her performance practice, Motuba composes for film, arranges music and mentors emerging artists. Widely respected for her musicality and conceptual depth, she continues to shape a thoughtful and expansive approach to jazz in South Africa and beyond.
Jason Jacobs
THEATRE
The 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre, Jason Jacobs, is an indigenous artist from Kharkams, Namaqualand. A storyteller, he integrates his cultural heritage into contemporary narratives, exploring themes of identity, history and community.
His second feature film (co-directed with Devon Delmar), Variations on a Theme, won the Tiger Award at the 2026 International Film Festival Rotterdam and Best African Film at the 2026 Joburg Film Festival. Additionally, his collective, KRAAL, received the SAFTA for Outstanding Provincial Contributor Award in 2026. His first short film, Nama Swaan, debuted at the kykNet Silwerskermfees, while the multi-nominated feature Carissa (NAAAP Productions) debuted at the Venice International Film Festival.
In theatre, Jacobs’ trilogy of works earned him the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival New Voices award, following the 2016 Theatre Arts Emerging Director award and a Fleur du Cap nomination. He co-translated Rehane Abrahams’ multi-award-winning Womb of Fire into Brandbaar, and created the performance piece Maroon with Javier Perez. He wrote, directed, and starred in Kraal at the Black2Normal Festival in Denmark.
Jacobs pursued his master’s as a scholar under the Mellon Foundation-funded Reimagining Tragedy in Africa and the Global South project. His practice remains rooted in the performing arts, healing practices, and community development.
Lee-ché Janecke
DANCE
Lee-ché Janecke, known professionally as Litchi HOV, is a Cape Town-born choreographer, creative director and cultural innovator shaping the future of global dance. A recipient of the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Dance, he has spent over thirteen years developing a movement language that is both ancestral and futuristic – rooted in South African rhythm while resonating on international stages.
Globally recognised for his distinctive choreographic voice, Litchi reimagines pop culture through an African lens, transforming trends into a refined and unmistakable signature style. As the creative force behind Grammy Award-winning artist Tyla, he helped propel Water into a worldwide dance phenomenon and earned a 2025 MTV VMA nomination for Best Choreography for Push 2 Start.
From early beginnings on So You Think You Can Dance South Africa and Step Up or Step Out to choreographing for Idols SA, he has continuously shaped a bold creative philosophy that merges indigenous rhythms with contemporary form. Now expanding his impact globally, Litchi HOV leads a dynamic choreography and creative tour, delivering masterclasses, workshops and large-scale productions that turn every space into a site of cultural exchange – recalibrating the pulse of pop culture.
Ndumiso Manana
MUSIC
Ndumiso Manana, the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist for Music, is a multi-faceted singer-songwriter and producer from eSwatini whose journey began in 2020 with his debut album In The Beginning Was The End. Subsequent releases—the album But Could The Moments In Between and EP COMMA—blend electronic dance music, soulful R&B, Afrobeats, Amapiano fusion, and poignant acoustic ballads. His 2024 release, Our Broken Hearts Mend, completes his trilogy of musical and poetic exploration to date.
A Bachelor of Music (BMus) in Jazz graduate from UCT with a rich choral background from the Drakensberg Boys Choir, Manana’s ability to blend sound and silence with innovation and intimacy has become his hallmark. His contribution as songwriter to Burna Boy’s Grammy-winning Twice As Tall reflects his influence in the global music scene. He has collaborated with Usher, Pheelz, Nasty C, Sauti Sol, Tyla, Amanda Black, Ami Faku, Shekinah, and Cynthia Erivo.
The industry has taken note. His debut EP received a nomination for Best Produced Album at the 2020 South African Music Awards. In 2023, he won the SAMA for Best R&B/Soul Album for But Could The Moments in Between, and in 2024, he was selected for Spotify Radar.