Emma McNally has lived and worked for many years by the River Thames, London - currently in her studio at Woolwich Dockyard just beyond the Thames barrier. Her relationship with the river is central to her work. The artist's practice is an ongoing exploration of complexity and entanglement across scales, spaces, times. Her drawings have been utilised across categories where new modes of thinking are evolving including ecology, physics, philosophy, music, politics, urbanism, mathematics, cartography, architecture, choreography, networks and complexity.

The artist studied philosophy and literature before continuing her thinking visually through drawing. Solo and group exhibitions include Mirrorcity, Hayward Gallery, London (2014), Drawing Room, London, Museum of Fine Art Houston, Houston, Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, MONA, Tasmania, Drawing Now, Paris. McNally's work is included in the latest edition of Phaidon's Vitamin series: Vitamin D3: Today's Best in Contemporary Drawing (2021).