Namoda CV and Profile Jan 2020 - Pippy …...CASSI NAMODA 1988, Born in Maputo, Mozambique Lives and...

CASSINAMODA

FamilyPortraitinGurué,2019,acryliconcanvas,167.6x121.9cm,66x48in As a painter and performance artist, Cassi Namoda explores the intricacies of social dynamics and

mixedculturalandracialidentity.Capturingscenesofeverydaylife,fromeverydaymomentstolife-

changingevents,Namodapaintsavibrantandnuancedportraitofpost-colonialMozambiquewithin

anincreasinglyglobalisedworld.

Drawing on cinematography, Namoda deftly captures scenes which seem like film stills: fleeting

snapshotswithinmuchlargernarratives.Herpaintingsrangefrombustling,facelesscrowdstoclose-

up individual portraits and her characters often stare out of the paintings, locking eyes with the

viewer and breaking the fourth wall. A recurring figure within her cast of characters is a woman

namedMariawhoisbyturnsgentle,ill-tempered,vivaciousandmelancholic,actingasamultifaceted

symboloffemininityincontemporaryAfrica.

Interweaving her ownmemories and imagination with images from archival photographs and the

worksofotherartists,NamodareflectsontheculturalspecificityofMozambique,herbirthplaceand

home for several years. She often uses East African proverbs in the titles of her paintings and

frequently includes references to local institutions and places such as the Mozambican region of

Guruéwherehergrandfathergrewup.

Through her examination of life in Mozambique, Namoda makes a broader comment on human

experience.Withbroadbrushstrokesofcolourpainted inaboldpalette,Namodadrawstheviewer

intotheinteriorlivesofhercharacters,expressingtheirjoys,fear,loveandpain.Thebackgroundsin

herworks,oftendepictedinasinglecolour,establishasenseofmoodandatmosphereratherthan

indicatingaspecificlocation.

Alongsideherpaintingpractice,Namodaalsostagesperformanceswhichbringtogetherthethemes

present in her paintings. In Tea of Nostalgia, performed at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, Namoda

steepedMozambicantealeavesinacolonialteaset,agesturewhichunitedpastandpresentasthe

artistassertedherplacewithinherfamilyhistorywhilealsoforminganewrelationshipwithaudience.

CassiNamoda(b.1988Maputo,Mozambique)worksbetweenLosAngelesandNewYork.Recentsolo

exhibitions includeFrançoisGhebaly,LosAngelesandNinaJohnsonGallery,Miami.Namoda'swork

has been included in exhibitions at CFHILL, Stockholm; Library Street Collective, Detroit; Nicodim

Galleries,LosAngelesandBucharestand iscurrentlyondisplay intheexhibitionAmericanWomen:

TheInfiniteJourneyatLaPatinoireRoyale–galerieValérieBachinBrussels.Thisyearshewasnamed

oneofthe‘RisingArtsStarsof2020’byElephantMagazineandapaintingbyherwasfeaturedonthe

coverofVogue Italia.Herwork isheld in thecollectionofPérezArtMuseum,Miami.Her first solo

exhibitionintheUKatPippyHouldsworthGallery,Londonrunsfrom24January-7March2020.

CASSINAMODA

1988,BorninMaputo,Mozambique

LivesandworksinEastHampton,NewYorkandLosAngeles,California

Education

AcademyofArtUniversity,SanFrancisco,CaliforniaBFA(Cinematography)

SoloExhibitions

2020 LittleisEnoughForThoseinLove,PippyHouldsworthGallery,London

2019 TheDayaMonkeyisDestinedtoDieAllTreesBecomeSlippery,FrançoisGhebaly,Los

Angeles

2018 OutsidetheWitchDoctor'sHouse,NinaJohnsonGallery,Miami

2017 MeatisMeat&OurNightlyBread,OOFBooks,LosAngeles

CassiNamoda,Harper'sBooks,Hamptons,NewYork

BarTexas,1971,LibraryStreetCollective,Detroit

CassiANamoda:IslandofEarth,FrontRoomGallery,LosAngeles

GroupExhibitions

2020 AmericanWomen,LaPatinoireRoyale-GalerieValérieBach,Brussels

2019 L.A.Dreams2,CFHILL,Stockholm,Sweden

SisterSister,TheNationalArtsFestival,Grahamstown,SouthAfrica

2018 CopingMechanisms,LibraryStreetCollective,Detroit

TheAdderallandtheEcstacy,NicodimGallery,Bucharest

BioPerversity,NicodimGallery,LosAngeles

Collections

PérezArtMuseum,Miami