Colours of the Caribbean

Joan is a strong, hardworking, and self-reliant woman, driven by a profound commitment to both human and animal rights. She was born in Africa and grew up both in Africa and Ecuador. This had a major impact on her life and art. Joan's true passion lies in mural painting, a passion that sparked when she was just 10 years old. Her first mural was an African landscape teeming with the iconic Big Five in her very own bedroom. Afterwards, she started painting for friends and acquaintances and marked the beginning of a lifelong journey. By working hard and developing her skills, she transformed her passion into a livelihood; mural painting became her profession, a means to provide for her children doing what she adored. 

Joan currently lives in Curaçao, and she loves the relaxed Caribbean atmosphere, and the way people enjoy the little things in life that makes life so much more interesting and fun. She takes immense pride knowing that her murals contribute to the island’s beauty, admired by all who encounter them. 

If she had to choose an ideal project to work on, she would freestyle on a big wall where she would represent human and animal rights, as these two causes resonate deeply with her. Since she has been working on Curaçao, she discovered that colours can make her very happy; she enjoys working with every colour! However, if forced to choose one, it would be red, as it symbolizes passion and love.  

Recently, Joan embarked on the ‘Colours of the Caribbean’ campaign where she painted a mural named ‘Cateoni’ in collaboration with Kooyman. She embraced this opportunity without hesitation, given the fact that it was for a good cause. It wasn’t until later that she realized the scale of this project. Her mural, Cateoni, represents a warm kiss from dushi Curaçao, with the aim of letting the children that are studying abroad know that we are here for them whenever they need us. She chose this theme as her own children recently embarked on overseas studies. Since she had a very difficult period when dealing with the farewell of her children, she wanted to raise awareness on this theme and inspire strength in others facing similar situations. The mural is located at SGO Goslinga, a secondary school in the heart of Otrobanda.