Cassi Namoda (b. 1988 Maputo, Mozambique) is a painter and performance artist who explores the intricacies of social dynamics and mixed cultural and racial identity. Capturing scenes of everyday life, from mundane moments to life-changing events, Namoda paints a vibrant and nuanced portrait of post-colonial Mozambique within an increasingly globalised world.
Namoda deftly captures scenes which have the appearance of film stills: fleeting snapshots within much larger narratives. Her paintings range from bustling, faceless crowds to close-up individual portraits and her characters often stare out of the paintings, locking eyes with the viewer and breaking the fourth wall. Interweaving her own memories and imagination with images from archival photographs and the works of other artists, Namoda reflects on the cultural specificity of Mozambique, her birthplace and home for several years.
Recent solo exhibitions include François Ghebaly, Los Angeles and Nina Johnson Gallery, Miami. Namoda’s work has been included in exhibitions at Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, New York; Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, New York; CFHILL, Stockholm; Library Street Collective, Detroit; Nicodim Galleries, Los Angeles and Bucharest.
This year Namoda was named one of the ‘Rising Arts Stars of 2020’ by Elephant Magazine and was commissioned to paint a cover for the January issue of Vogue Italia. Her work is held in the collection of Pérez Art Museum, Miami. She works between Los Angeles and New York.