From iconic public artworks (discover a few of our favourites), intriguing street art, and established galleries and museums, to trailblazing indie spaces and the hardworking artists' studios in the city centre, Johannesburg is a city for art lovers. We update this guide weekly to help you navigate these ever-changing creative spaces, from a curated selection of solo and group shows, artist-led walkabouts and workshops to guided tours and other art-related events worth your while.
Art picks of the week (Thu, Apr 16 – Thu, Apr 23, 2026)
We're still buzzing from the incredible energy at Main St Sundays. It was hard not to feel giddy as we walked through the crowds to the different activities on Main Street, and it's got us feeling particularly optimistic about Joburg this week. And to keep that going, this week the creative energy is spread across the city with a landmark travelling exhibition opening at Wits Origins Centre, a morning workshop at the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography, the finissage of Soil & Water at NIROX, and two shows at Lizamore's Firestation space in Rosebank.Atlas of Uncertainty at Wits Origins Centre
Sat, Apr 18, 10:00 – 15:00: We have been counting down for Atlas of Uncertainty at Wits Origins Centre. A travelling interdisciplinary exhibition featuring 30 artists from Accra, Johannesburg and Nairobi, Atlas of Uncertainty maps and remaps migration and urban spaces across the continent. A project of the Oxford/Wits Mobility Governance Lab and the African Centre for Migration & Society, it's a timely and ambitious undertaking that asks what Africa's cities tell us about the future of cities everywhere. It should be a perfect complement to Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation's upcoming exhibition, Reverse Futures. The exhibition runs until Fri, Jul 3, 2026. RSVP for the launch via sophie@frame45.com.
Soil & Water Finissage at NIROX Sculpture Park
Photo: Villa-Legodi Centre for Sculpture.
Sat, Apr 18 from 10:00: NIROX Sculpture Park has been on a bit of a roll lately and this continues with the finissage of the first phase of the Soil & Water programme for what should be a fitting close to what has been a rich residency project. The day brings together newly realised works from artists including Alet Pretorius, Ledelle Moe, Paula Anta, Senzo Masondo and many others, alongside the opening of Clouding Over, a new body of work by Jeremy Wafer developed during his residency at the Villa-Legodi Centre for Sculpture. Wafer's work continues his long investigation of dislocation, memory and materiality, and by his own description carries a somewhat sombre and elegiac tone. The day also includes a curator-led walkabout and a violin solo by Francesco D'Orazio. RSVP to tristin@villa-legodi.com.
Walkabout at Lizamore @ the Firestation
Sat, Apr 18 at 11:30: With this being the last week to see Imprints of Presence at Lizamore @ the Firestation, a walkabout with the artists is a great way to catch the exhibition if you haven't already. You'll get to find out more about the work and processes of Khumo Ramaila, Jason Langa and Chevy Noir, with the added bonus of complementary wine.
A workshop, activation and your last chance to see two stellar exhibitions
Until Fri, Apr 17: The survey exhibition Artist Proof Studio at 35 at Strauss & Co is essential to see if you haven't already. The exhibition brings together over 50 alumni to track the studio’s profound influence on South African printmaking. It makes for an incredible array of styles and highlights the astounding talent that Artist Proof Studio fosters.
Sat, Apr 18, 09:00 – 13:00: Sewcial Studios brings a different take on Fashion_The Image with their Stitching the Archive workshop at Roger Ballen Centre for Photography. You'll get to commemorate the fashion moments from your family photo albums at this morning session. Bring a photograph of a family member, loved one or yourself, which you'll turn into a pocket altar, a miniature, portable archive of style and identity. No previous craft experience required, all materials provided. R550 via Quicket.
Mon, Apr 20 – Thu, Apr 24: FADA Gallery hosts an experimental interactive installation by Shaifali Bramdev as part of the FADA Masenza Activations. You'll get to engage, respond and become part of the artwork itself, with Bramdev's activation centring around Co-constructing Landscapes and Race.
Until Mon, Apr 20: Groundwork opened at Keyes Art Mile to mark the start of construction on Keyes Art Mile 2.0. The exhibition is an event in itself, though, as it brings sculpture, paintings and artefacts together to portray how our built environments are formed both materially and imaginatively. Make sure to see it before the week ends.
More Joburg art highlights
SEE BEFORE THE END OF APRIL
Until Fri, Apr 24 – Stevenson Gallery, Gallery MOMO and kumalo | turpin each direct an exhibition at Latitudes Centre for the Arts for the first iteration of Department.
Until Thu, Apr 30 – One and the Many brings leading South African contemporary artists into dialogue with the collections at Javett-UP in a fascinating examination of the old and the new that "aims to open up different possibilities for reading images and artwork".
Until end April – Converging Truths is a two-person show curated by Tanya Krain at Asisebenze Art Gallery. The show pairs Mpho Nkadimeng and Nolwizwi Lamula to unveil the complexities of the self, and how our myriad choices and cultures shape us.
SEE BEFORE THE END OF MAY
Until Sat, May 2 – Words, Words, Words, a group exhibition at Everard Read Gallery where text is treated as material: bent, fragmented and reassembled across painting, print and sculpture.
Until Sat, May 30 – Goodman Gallery presents Kate Gottgens' Her Own Myth, the artist's first show with the gallery, assembling female figures drawn from myth, fairytale and folklore on canvases that blur recognition and invention.
Until Sun, May 31 – Fashion_The Image at Roger Ballen Centre for Photography traces the evolution of fashion photography in South Africa and its relationship to identity, authorship and global visual culture.
SEE BEFORE THE END OF JUNE
Until Fri, Jun 5: Jack Ginsberg Centre for Book Arts at Wits Art Museum presents Thoughtforms: The Page as a Liminal Field, tracing the book as a site of active thinking from 15th-century incunabula to contemporary experiments in redaction and annotation. First walkabout with curator Ciara Struwig on Sat, May 2 at 11:30.
Until Sat, Jun 13 – Where Time Has Gathered is a special exhibition at Lizamore on Keyes. Drawn from gallerist and curator Teresa Lizamore's personal collection, the exhibition reflects on 35 years of relationships and moments in the art world.
SEE BEFORE THE END OF JULY
Until Fri, Jul 31 – A brand-new art space, A42 House opens its doors with Grounded, a co-created exhibition shaped by voices in Johannesburg reflecting on home, belonging and place. Keep an eye on A42 House's Instagram for talks, workshops and other pop-up events.
SEE BEFORE THE END OF OCTOBER
Until Sat, Oct 31: With the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) gearing up for its refurbishment, Homecoming brings significant pieces from its collection to Standard Bank Gallery. Curated by Khwezi Gule and Dr Same Mdluli, the show creates a fascinating friction between European classical masters and seminal African works. For more thoughts on Homecoming and Johannesburg Art Gallery, read our articles here and here
Ongoing – NIROX Sculpture Park and the Villa-Legodi Centre for Sculpture place works by Edoardo Villa alongside other South African sculptors to explore the legacy of the artist with Villa+ the next generation.
Save the date
May 22 – May 24 – The exquisite Shepstone Gardens plays host to RMB Latitudes Art Fair with the theme Oasis for 2026, featuring a special international focus on contemporary Nigerian art in collaboration with Yenwa Gallery. Get your tickets here.
Sep 4 – Sep 6 – FNB Art Joburg, the longest-running art fair in Africa, transforms the Sandton Convention Centre with curated sections, large-scale installations and more.
Comments