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