In a year marked by reflection, stillness, and an enduring curiosity about what it means to be present, Naledi Maifala’s quietly powerful practice has risen to the surface, and captured the hearts of the ANNA Award judges.
Fresh off the announcement that she is the 2025 ANNA Award Winner, Maifala is still catching her breath. “The day I found out, I was all over the place,” she admits, speaking from her home in Botswana. “My adrenaline was high. Today, I’m much calmer. More relaxed.”
For the ANNA Award judges, Maifala’s work stood out as a testament to the quiet power of observation, a practice anchored in solitude and a deep attentiveness to the everyday. They felt that by deliberately avoiding overt political commentary, she subverts the expectation that her work must carry the weight of historical struggle. They saw in her art a radical act of self-possession: a claiming of space for personal experience that resists the pressure to centre her identity as a black woman, or to place herself at the heart of the narrative. Instead, they were moved by how she finds profound meaning in the fleeting.
Indeed, there’s a distinct gentleness that runs through Maifala’s work, an attention to the everyday, to nature, to stillness. It’s not surprising, then, that her practice has its roots in slow beginnings. “I started art in school around 2007 as an elective,” she explains. “I didn’t even think of it as a career. It was just the one subject where I could have fun.”
That sense of joy and play still lingers in her process. After a brief stint in public relations, Maifala returned to painting professionally in 2022. “I missed being in the studio, just being a kid again and experimenting.”
“Just as petals fall, life too fades”
This line, a poetic mantra of sorts, guides her practice. Inspired by time spent in the garden, tending to flowers and quietly observing life around her, the phrase captures much of what Maifala explores in her work: impermanence, presence, contentment.
“My work is about solitude and being alert to myself,” she says. “Even though contentment is internal, I believe there are external things – people, animals, places -that influence it.”
This philosophy isn’t abstract for Maifala – it’s lived. Days are unstructured and intuitive. Sometimes she gardens. Other times, she photographs quiet moments on her phone, which later become references for new paintings. “I don’t think I have a defined style,” she notes. “It’s still evolving. Sometimes it’s messy, sometimes intentional. Always intuitive.”
While Maifala’s surroundings in Botswana play a central role in her work, she’s also keenly aware of the challenges that come with working in a country where the art ecosystem is still developing.
“There aren’t that many spaces where artists can reliably exhibit or sell work,” she says. “But things are growing. And platforms like the ANNA Award help us to reach beyond our borders.”
Her win comes with a financial award and a residency, which is something she’s particularly excited about. “I want to learn. I want to be around new people, see new landscapes. My conversations with others – those are what feed my practice. So being in a new place? That’s going to be huge.”
Maifala’s inspirations are eclectic and sincere. Her work draws loosely on painters like Claude Monet, Adolf Menzel, and Helen Frankenthaler – not in style, necessarily, but in spirit. “Frankenthaler painting on the floor? I do that too,” she laughs. “I love that freedom.”
More surprising influences come from home: her younger brother is a filmmaker, and often ropes her into watching classic films from the 1940s. “There’s something so simple and beautiful about that era – the music, the pace. It inspires me.”
Music, gardening, travel, and the subtle rituals of everyday life all feed into her creative world. And when she’s not painting, you might just find her dancing. “My brother thinks he can outdance me, but I always remind him – I’m the dancer in the family!”
For Maifala, the recognition is both personal and professional. “It confirmed that there are people out there who relate to what I’m trying to say,” she reflects. “It’s also a moment to show other artists here in Botswana that it’s possible. That our voices matter – not just locally, but beyond.”
More than anything, Maifala sees the win as an invitation to keep going. “This award is about originality, imagination, and dedication. And those are the very things I try to hold onto every day in my practice.”
About the ANNA Award
Now in its fourth year, the ANNA Award recognises and celebrates the work of women artists in Africa, spotlighting imagination, originality and dedication to creative practice. The prize includes a R100,000 cash award, a residency, and a profile on Latitudes Online.
