FirstRand presents 'Women Making Their Mark' exhibition
Seventy years after the historic Women’s March of 1956, a new exhibition drawn from the FirstRand Art Collection turns the focus to another powerful form of expression: the marks made by women through art.
Women Making Their Mark opens at Art&About at 8 Merchant Place, Sandton, on Thursday, 20 August 2026, bringing together approximately 100 works by women artists across generations and disciplines. The exhibition features painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, mixed media and works on paper, offering a diverse selection of perspectives on identity, experience, place and the world around us.
Among the artists represented are Aida Muluneh, Carin Scrimgeour, Cow Mash, Esther Mahlangu, Gabrielle Kruger, Georgina Gratrix, Heidi Fourie, Irma Stern, Kilmany-Jo Liversage, Lebohang Motaung, Marlene Dumas, Maude Sumner, Nadia Were, Nompumelelo Ngoma, Mary Sibande and Zanele Muholi.
Presented during Women’s Month, the exhibition has particular resonance in 2026, marking 70 years since the historic Women's March of 9 August 1956, when more than 20 000 women of all races marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to present a petition against the extension of pass laws to women. After standing in silence for 30 minutes, the women sang the now iconic words: “Wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo” – “You strike a woman, you strike a rock.”
While the circumstances are very different, the principle of women asserting their right to be heard remains deeply relevant. For centuries, women artists were underrepresented in the institutions and narratives that shaped art history. Today, their work is an essential part of a more diverse, inclusive and complete understanding of art and culture.
“Art gives us another way of seeing the world. It challenges assumptions, opens conversations and brings different perspectives into the public imagination. When women’s creativity is embraced, we build stronger teams, create greater value and contribute meaningfully to society,” says Kone Gugushe, Head of Social Investing at FirstRand.
FirstRand has a long-standing commitment to the arts and to Africa’s creative economy. Its corporate art collection now comprises more than 4 200 artworks and sculptures. From its inception close to 40 years ago, the collection has been conceived around the idea of building a body of work that would encourage discourse and accessibility.
This philosophy extends beyond the traditional boardroom or gallery. Art from the collection is encountered throughout all FirstRand offices, including public-facing spaces where people work, meet, eat and gather. At VovoTelo@Merchant Place, a public restaurant, artworks become part of the everyday experience of people enjoying a coffee or lunch, creating informal opportunities to stop, look, think and engage.
Women Making Their Mark invites audiences to consider not only the works themselves, but the importance of stories women share.