Joana Choumali Côte d’Ivoire, b. 1974

Overview

Joana Choumali, born in 1974, is a visual artist/photographer based in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. She studied graphic arts in Casablanca (Morocco) and worked as an art director in an advertising agency before embarking on her photography career. She works mainly on conceptual portraits, mixed media and documentary photography. Much of her work focuses on Africa, and what she, as an African, learns about the innumerable cultures around her.

In her latest works, Joana embroiders directly on the images completing the act of creating the photograph image with a slow and meditative gesture. Joana has exhibited her work at the Museum of Civilizations-Abidjan, the Donwahi Foundation for Contemporary Art-Abidjan, at the Rotonde des Arts Contemporary Art Center - Abidjan, at the Vitra Design Museum-Basel, at the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden- Marrakech, at the Museum of photography -St Louis, Senegal, at the Tropen Musuem –Amsterdam at the International Photography Biennale of Bamako, at the Photoquai Biennale (Quai Branly Museum- Paris), at the Lagos Photo Festival, and PhotoVogue festival. In 2014, she won the CapPrize Award and the 2014 Emerging Photographer LensCulture Award. In 2016, she received the Magnum Emergency Grant Foundation, and the Fourthwall Books Award in South Africa. In 2017, she exhibited her series "Translation" and "Adorn" at the Pavilion of the Ivory Coast during the 57th Venice International Biennale. Her latest mixed media series Alba'hian is exhibited at the Zeitz Mocaa Museum of Contemporary Arts-Capetown. On November 13th 2019 she is the first African winner of the Eight Prix Pictet for her series "Ça va aller " ("It will be ok") on this cycle’s theme of Hope.

Her work has been published in the international press: CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, El Pais (Spain), Le Monde, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, Harper Bazaar Art, Le Temps (Switzerland), La Stampa, The Internazionale (Italy) etc.

Her book "HAABRE", was published and edited in Johannesburg in 2016.

Works
Installation Shot, How do you Spell a Silent Sound, 2019
Exhibitions
Biography

Exhibitions:

2011: Rotonde des Arts Contemporary Art Center - Abidjan, series ces invisibles
2011: Solo exhibition Eureka galerie, series Nappy
2014 : CapPrize winners exhibition, Basel
2015 : Museum of Civilizations-Abidjan, the Donwahi Foundation for Contemporary Art-Abidjan, series Haabre
2015 : Vitra Design Museum-Basel,
2015 : Photoquai Biennale (Quai Branly Museum- Paris), series Haabre
2016 : Tropen Museum -Amsterdam, series Haabre
2016 : Rencontres d’Arles photographie , series Persona
2017: PhotoVogue festival,Milan, series Awoulaba
2017 : Museum of photography -St Louis, Senegal, series Resilients
2017: Pavilion of the Ivory Coast during the 57th Venice International; series Translation and Adorn
2018 : Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden- Marrakech,
2018 : Lagos Photo Festival, series Translation
2018 : International Photography Biennale of Bamako, series ça va aller
2018 : Dakar Biennale, Off de Dapper, series Nappy
2018 : MFon Photo exhibition , Mocada Museum, NYC
2019 : Solo exhibition 3134 Loft Art Gallery, series ‘ça va aller' resilients
2019: How Do You Spell A Silent Sound, series ‘ça va aller' & 'Alba'hian', Gallery 1957 - Accra
2019: Zeitz Mocaa Museum of Contemporary Arts-Capetown series Alba'hian

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Collections:

Her works are included in private collections, like Collection Leridon, Collection Serge Tiroche, and the permanent collection of the Museum of PhotographySt Louis, Senegal.

Joana is represented by Gallery 1957, (Accra) and Loft Art Gallery (Casablanca).

News
Art Fairs