Katlego C.L. Twala Wins Tokyo Award as Her Art Reaches a Wider Stage

Katlego C.L. Twala has added an international honour to her growing art career, taking home the Sponsor Award at the inaugural Toyota Tsusho Corporation African Art Award in Tokyo, Japan. The recognition puts the Botswana artist among a group of young creatives whose work is being presented to audiences beyond the continent. The award celebrates artistic achievement, creative vision and perspectives that connect Africa with the rest of the world. Twala was among award-winning artists from Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo invited to Tokyo for an exhibition sponsored by Toyota Tsusho Corporation. According to the source, the company established the award to support artists working across Africa and give them a platform to present their work in Japan. For Twala, the recognition marks another step in a career that has combined formal training with a series of exhibitions and art-world appearances. She studied at the Swedish Academy of Realist Art and the Barcelona Academy of Art. In 2024, she won the New Emergence Art Prize, and her profile continued to rise the following year. She presented a sold-out solo booth at Latitudes Art Fair with the Banana Club Artist Fund, before showing work at FNB Art Joburg with Everard Read Gallery. The Tokyo prize now adds a new milestone to that record. Twala’s work, shaped by an African perspective and presented in an international setting, has earned recognition from the organisers of a newly launched award. The honour also brings further attention to Botswana’s creative scene, with Twala representing the country among artists from across the continent.