Gallery 1957 presents a solo exhibition by the award-winning Ivorian photographer and mixed media artist Joana Choumali. Presenting new works which blend photography with collage and embroidery, the exhibition is made of works from the series Alba’hian. It will also debut additional works inspired by the artist’s early-morning explorations of Accra in the summer of 2019; marking a departure for the artist, this latest body of work sees the artist working on a larger scale (up to 2m x 1m), for the first time. Joana’s recent series "ça va aller..." (it will be OK) (2016-2019) is shortlisted for the 8th cycle of Prix Pictet “Hope”.

Joana Choumali mainly works with conceptual portraits, mixed media and documentary photography. Much of her oeuvre 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 image with slow and meditative gestures.

Themes such as migration, identity, social justice, and the history of myth-making establish provocative voices in the canon of African Futures. The integration of different mediums and artistic practices into multi-disciplinary installations highlight the different ways in which we reflect and reinvent our imagined selves.