The Art Residency Centre (ARC), based in Gaborone, is representing four trailblazing visual artists, Ann Gollifer, Visule Kabunda, Kim Karabo Makin, and Giancarlo Santana, at the prestigious RMB Latitudes Art Fair 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The international event, which brings together artists, galleries, and collectors from across the African continent and beyond, offers ARC an opportunity to highlight Botswana’s growing contemporary art scene on a global stage.
With its participation, ARC aims to assert its voice in the continental art dialogue, showcasing artists whose practices push creative boundaries and engage deeply with themes of identity, culture, memory, and the human condition. The Four artists’ works explore a range of mediums including digital photography, pencil, acrylic, ink, earth on paper, canvas, and contemporary ceramic basket installations.
The works question how the past is recorded and remembered, reflecting on culture and tradition while firmly rooting themselves in the present. They challenge traditional formats and speak to what it means to be human in today’s world.
ARC’s presence at RMB Latitudes aligns with its broader mission: to create national and international networks, foster platforms for artistic expression, and cultivate a more inclusive, artist-led ecosystem within Botswana. As a collective run by artists, for artists, ARC survives through collaboration and voluntary effort, with a vision to build infrastructure where none exists.
Despite the lack of a dedicated Fine Art department at the University of Botswana and limited formal education opportunities in the country, Botswana’s contemporary art sector is showing signs of transformation. A growing number of artists are returning from studies abroad, bringing fresh perspectives and renewed energy to the local scene. Many are joining or supporting ARC’s efforts to carve out self-sustaining creative spaces.
The local art market, however, remains small and underdeveloped. With minimal public and private sector support, few job opportunities in the arts exist, and those in the public sector are often absorbed by administrative bureaucracy. Funding is scarce, with national awards and grants like those from the National Arts Council of Botswana and CIPA facing overwhelming demand.
Yet, ARC remains hopeful. Its participation in international fairs such as RMB Latitudes not only raises the profile of Botswana’s artists but also opens up critical networking opportunities. These connections, ARC believes, can inspire and benefit the wider artistic community back home.
ARC emphasises the importance of art in shaping identity and preserving history, while also challenging it.
By continuing to engage audiences through visual arts, poetry, film, theatre, dance, music, and more, ARC is working to spark a cultural shift. One where artists and communities collaborate to create meaningful, transformative change.
