"My photographic practice has always been a reflection of what I observe and the social phenomena that surround me. At first glance, what appears to be a kind of documentation of life experiences and cultural facts is a testimony of multiple emotions that people seem to glimpse." - Joana Choumali 

Joana Choumali, born in 1974, is a visual artist/photographer based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. She studied graphic arts in Casablanca (Morocco) and worked as an artistic direc- tor in an advertising agency before embarking on a career as a photographer. She works mainly on conceptual portraiture, mixed media and documentary photography. Much of her work focuses on what she learns about the countless cultures around her.