I managed to have a quick look at Joana's current show @ The Royal Drawing school in between job interviews before it closes this weekend on the 4th of May. I was immediately struck by the artists composition and ability to create intimacy in the work through careful mark-making and colour choices. The artist's work is engaging because of how she moves away from working with photography to push her visual language. Concerned with memory, imagination and displacement. For this show, one of the main focuses is the notion of 'Love' and it's variety of meanings. It encompasses loneliness and different forms of absence. This is shown in how the figures are depicted and scenes are layered to create hidden meanings and engaging environments. The textures in the work and how environments were build up creating something visceral, and how certain fragments were deep in colour compared to detailed areas, suggested movement in the scenes adding to the poignancy of the work.