Cassi Namoda
(b. 1988)Painter Cassi Namoda combines personal memories and art historical references to interrogate issues of postcolonialism and history, as well as the art historical canon itself. Her work is filled with symbolic and historical references to folklore, mythology, painting traditions, and colonial structures.
Biography
As a young girl, Namoda spent time observing the nature and native animals of Kenya. The painter often moved around and visited her family members in Mozambique. She would draw often and record her observations during her travels, laying the foundation for her artistic practice.
The artist went on to study cinematography at the Academy of Art University in San Fransisco. Soon after, Namoda worked for fashion designer Maryam Nassir Zadeh, where she sourced pieces from abroad for the store to sell.
At the age of twenty-five, Namoda moved to Los Angeles, where she began to draw, write, and paint again. A self-taught artist, she began showing her paintings in a friend’s living room, as well as a friend’s bookshop. Namoda is influenced by an array of artists and makers across disciplines, such as painter Bob Thompson, author Mia Couto, and artist Bill Traylor.
Namoda’s works have been included in exhibitions at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Insititute, New York; Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, Brooklyn; and Library Street Collective, Detroit. Namoda’s works are in the public collections at Pérez Art Museum, Miami; Baltimore Museum of Art; MACAAL, Marrakesh; and the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. She was a 2023 resident at Thread Senegal with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. The Studio Museum first acquired her work in 2021.
Cassi Namoda
(b. 1988)Painter Cassi Namoda combines personal memories and art historical references to interrogate issues of postcolonialism and history, as well as the art historical canon itself. Her work is filled with symbolic and historical references to folklore, mythology, painting traditions, and colonial structures.
Biography
As a young girl, Namoda spent time observing the nature and native animals of Kenya. The painter often moved around and visited her family members in Mozambique. She would draw often and record her observations during her travels, laying the foundation for her artistic practice.
The artist went on to study cinematography at the Academy of Art University in San Fransisco. Soon after, Namoda worked for fashion designer Maryam Nassir Zadeh, where she sourced pieces from abroad for the store to sell.
At the age of twenty-five, Namoda moved to Los Angeles, where she began to draw, write, and paint again. A self-taught artist, she began showing her paintings in a friend’s living room, as well as a friend’s bookshop. Namoda is influenced by an array of artists and makers across disciplines, such as painter Bob Thompson, author Mia Couto, and artist Bill Traylor.
Namoda’s works have been included in exhibitions at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Insititute, New York; Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, Brooklyn; and Library Street Collective, Detroit. Namoda’s works are in the public collections at Pérez Art Museum, Miami; Baltimore Museum of Art; MACAAL, Marrakesh; and the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. She was a 2023 resident at Thread Senegal with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. The Studio Museum first acquired her work in 2021.