Joana Choumali is an artist whose practice combines conceptual portraiture, mixed media, and documentary photography. Deeply rooted in Africa and drawing inspiration from different cultures around her, Choumali’s work explores and develops her vision of the world. In her recent pieces, she embroiders directly onto photographs, expanding the act of image-making through slow, meditative gesture. She enriches her images with textiles and touches of colour, giving them a sensitive and intimate quality. She explains: ‘Each stitch was a way to recover, to lay down the emotions, the loneliness, and mixed feelings I felt.’