Watercolour on paper, 24 × 18cm.
Portugese-born artist Joana Galego’s images are informed by – in her words – ‘memories and feelings rather than actual events’. Firmly rooted in drawing, her paintings and works on paper are characterised by a vibrant palette and a visual language partly inspired by historical artists including Piero de la Francesca and Paul Gaugin.
Joana uses layering and changes of perspective to create multiple narratives within her compositions. This unframed painting on paper from 2020 is typical of the artist’s imagery, where figures are seen hiding, embracing, resting and playing together in a range of dreamlike scenarios. Caring and nurturing are strong themes which run through the artist’s practice. She also regularly uses changes of scale to create intrigue; here, a pair of miniature figures appear to dance on the child’s head, gently guided from above like little puppets.
Joana graduated from the University of Lisbon in 2016 and subsequently moved to London to attend the Royal Drawing School between 2016 and 2017. Her work has been exhibited in numerous group shows in London and Portugal including the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize for which she was shortlisted in 2019. Solo exhibitions include ‘Spring and All’ at the Royal Drawing School, London, in 2019, and ‘Mole Lunar Sinal’ at Soho Revue in 2023. Joana has been awarded prizes including The Sir Denis Mahon Award from the Royal Drawing School (2017). She has undertaken artistic residencies in the USA, Portugal and India and her work is held in numerous private collections. She currently lives and works in south east London.
Watercolour on paper, 24 × 18cm.
Portugese-born artist Joana Galego’s images are informed by – in her words – ‘memories and feelings rather than actual events’. Firmly rooted in drawing, her paintings and works on paper are characterised by a vibrant palette and a visual language partly inspired by historical artists including Piero de la Francesca and Paul Gaugin.
Joana uses layering and changes of perspective to create multiple narratives within her compositions. This unframed painting on paper from 2020 is typical of the artist’s imagery, where figures are seen hiding, embracing, resting and playing together in a range of dreamlike scenarios. Caring and nurturing are strong themes which run through the artist’s practice. She also regularly uses changes of scale to create intrigue; here, a pair of miniature figures appear to dance on the child’s head, gently guided from above like little puppets.
Joana graduated from the University of Lisbon in 2016 and subsequently moved to London to attend the Royal Drawing School between 2016 and 2017. Her work has been exhibited in numerous group shows in London and Portugal including the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize for which she was shortlisted in 2019. Solo exhibitions include ‘Spring and All’ at the Royal Drawing School, London, in 2019, and ‘Mole Lunar Sinal’ at Soho Revue in 2023. Joana has been awarded prizes including The Sir Denis Mahon Award from the Royal Drawing School (2017). She has undertaken artistic residencies in the USA, Portugal and India and her work is held in numerous private collections. She currently lives and works in south east London.
