João Penalva (1949, Lisbon) lived in London from 1976 to 2021, and in Lisbon from 2021 to the present. After starting his career in contemporary dance from 1968 to 1976, including a period with Pina Bausch's company (1973-74) and co-founding The Moon Dance Company with Jean Pomares (1976), he moved to London. There, he received a scholarship from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to study at the Chelsea School of Art (1976-81). Initially focused on painting, his practice expanded in the 1990s to include various media such as film, photography, and installation. His body of work integrates text and imagery as foundational elements. Drawing from diverse sources like literature, found objects, and archival materials, his work often involves deep research that integrates the final piece. One of the core aspects of his work is exploring communication in its many forms, blending both formal and theoretical approaches within complex narratives that combine reality and fiction.