Five artists win the Hollard Future Best Awards 2026

Last week, Hollard Mozambique announced the official opening of the Growing Collection 2026 Exhibition, an initiative of Kulungwana, Association for Cultural Development, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Mozambique. This event also celebrated the Hollard Future Best 2026 Award for artists, a milestone that highlights the vibrant creativity and emerging artistic talent of Mozambique.

In her opening speech for the exhibition of approximately 120 works of art that are part of the Crescente Collection, the Secretary of State for Arts and Culture, Matilde Muocha, congratulated the partnership and emphasized the important role this initiative plays in making national artistic talent accessible and valuing it.

At the heart of this initiative is the Hollard Better Futures Award 2026 for artists, an annual award that recognizes the best work of the country's most promising young creatives. Since 2019, Hollard has annually supported around 120 Mozambican artists through this initiative, recognizing their exceptional artistic talent and contributing to the promotion of "better futures" for them.

Yesterday, from the 15 nominated finalist artists, five were selected to win an international artistic residency through this award. Namely: Delmindo Chambal, Orquídio Marrengula, Osvaldo Cuinica, Thandy Winasse, and Ventura Mulalene. Until now, three artists had been awarded, representing an increase that, starting this year, honors the work of a greater number of artists.

At the event, Jéssica Figueiredo, Executive Marketing Director at Hollard Mozambique, announced the creation of a new complementary opportunity for local artistic development, to be detailed soon, through an Annual Workshop for 20 artists. These artists will have access to an international residency program with the participation of renowned art professors and the winners of the Better Futures Award, who will return from the residency to share their experiences and support the development of the new participants.

Hollard's support for these initiatives is aligned with the group's Shared Values ​​framework. Hollard recognizes its role in creating opportunities for people to develop their skills, obtain better jobs, and contribute to the country's development.

The curation of this exhibition was once again the responsibility of Mieke Oldenburg, who presented a carefully selected collection of works by established and emerging artists, showcasing a diversity of media and styles.presented on MDF panels measuring 18 by 18 centimeters.

Since 2011, when the first edition took place, the Exhibition has assumed increasing importance in the country's cultural life, becoming one of the biggest events on the artistic calendar and the largest showcase of national artistic creativity. Participants range from self-taught artists and young art students from different educational institutions to established names in national visual arts, using a wide variety of techniques and media.

The Crescente 2026 Collection is officially open to the public, showcasing bold and thought-provoking interpretations deeply rooted in Mozambican identity and expression.