Joana Choumali’s Vividly Embroidered Photographs Are Expressions of Hope

Joana Choumali, HOW IT STARTED, 2019-2020. Image courtesy of Loft Art Gallery.

In this feature by Audrey Lang for Artsy, the work of Joana Choumali takes center stage. This Ivorian artist’s work crosses the boundaries of photography, sculpture, mixed media, embroidery, and collage. Just last year, Choumali became the first African artist to win the Prix Pictet, one of the world’s most highly coveted photography awards. Using an labor-intensive process of hand-stitching threads on her photographs, Choumali’s work serves to meditate on what is unspoken and attempts to present the interiority of her subjects.

“My works are all about acceptance of who we are, and exploring the subconscious.” - Joana Choumali