Born in Washington D.C, in 1982, Jolan Emamali was the youngest of three children born to his working-class parents. At the age of four he was hired to model in print ads for various newspapers and magazines. He soon began acting in TV shows, theater, and movies up until his mid-teens. Being very fond of his father's ability with a pen, he took after him by drawing at a very young age. His older brother, an amateur painter, also inspired him. He started painting in acrylic around the age of six and sold a couple of pieces at Georgetown Day School where he attended elementary and high school. At Georgetown Day School he was a part of every theater event and a major contributor to the school's artistic scene and various publications.
In the fall of 2000 he moved to Chicago to pursue his art career at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Jolan graduated in 2005 with a BFA in painting and drawing, as well as a strong emphasis in video and performance art. In the fall of 2005 he performed poetry from the great sound artist John Cage in MusicCircus at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. In 2008, Jolan exhibited and stood as curator of The Art Vandelay gallery show in Chicago. The Art Vandelay was a celebration and collaboration of painting, drawing, sculpture, performance and sound art. Later in the fall he organized and exhibited in a show at The Loose Leaf Tea Lounge consisting mostly of paintings with dark, eerie and surreal themes. At the end of the summer of 2009 he exhibited at Subterranean Lounge and Theater Space in Chicago.
In the fall of 2009, he moved to Washington, DC to strive towards new horizons, new landscapes, and a new audience. He was the featured artist for the Columbia Heights Community Marketplace for the 2011 season. As well as the first featured artist for the Artist Space Project at the New Organizing Institute (NOI), a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C. In the past 10 years Jolan has been focusing mainly on making private sales, freelance painting and photography, commissions for illustrations, community murals, and public and private art education. Having recently shown work in Hyattsville, Dupont Circle, Alexandria, Adams Morgan, Upper Marlboro, and Fells Point in Baltimore. He is currently displaying work in private residencies in DC, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, and New York. He now resides in Columbia Heights in Washington, DC currently working on a series of paintings and drawings using multimedia techniques and applications to depict a myriad of landscapes and figures in mundane and iconic surroundings.
In the fall of 2000 he moved to Chicago to pursue his art career at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Jolan graduated in 2005 with a BFA in painting and drawing, as well as a strong emphasis in video and performance art. In the fall of 2005 he performed poetry from the great sound artist John Cage in MusicCircus at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. In 2008, Jolan exhibited and stood as curator of The Art Vandelay gallery show in Chicago. The Art Vandelay was a celebration and collaboration of painting, drawing, sculpture, performance and sound art. Later in the fall he organized and exhibited in a show at The Loose Leaf Tea Lounge consisting mostly of paintings with dark, eerie and surreal themes. At the end of the summer of 2009 he exhibited at Subterranean Lounge and Theater Space in Chicago.
In the fall of 2009, he moved to Washington, DC to strive towards new horizons, new landscapes, and a new audience. He was the featured artist for the Columbia Heights Community Marketplace for the 2011 season. As well as the first featured artist for the Artist Space Project at the New Organizing Institute (NOI), a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C. In the past 10 years Jolan has been focusing mainly on making private sales, freelance painting and photography, commissions for illustrations, community murals, and public and private art education. Having recently shown work in Hyattsville, Dupont Circle, Alexandria, Adams Morgan, Upper Marlboro, and Fells Point in Baltimore. He is currently displaying work in private residencies in DC, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, and New York. He now resides in Columbia Heights in Washington, DC currently working on a series of paintings and drawings using multimedia techniques and applications to depict a myriad of landscapes and figures in mundane and iconic surroundings.