Cassi Namoda

François Ghebaly, Los Angeles

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Steeped in magical realism, Cassi Namoda’s playful scenes explore the transfiguration and mystical entanglement of Luso-African mythology and the post-colonial experience, particularly in her native Mozambique. In her work Namoda looks at the presence of myth and spiritualism in our daily lives and the strange relationship between the mystical and the ‘real’. The present lot is one of only a handful of self-portrait done by the artist and was produced whilst Namoda was in residency in Skowhegan, Maine. The word Maine is inscribed on the reverse.

"I was born in Mozambique, and while I was young, I lived in Indonesia, Kenya for quite some time, then Haiti, and then the Dominican Republic. I only lived in Haiti a short time, and I was quite young, but something resonated with my development as a child. Certain places have powerful, magical landscapes, and Haiti has always been a place of mysticism and rich folklore. It was also my first time experiencing the diaspora outside of Africa. When I moved to Benin at fifteen to study at boarding school, I learned of vodun. I understood it was the same essential connection I had made in Haiti: these magical spiritualisms and rituals as a part of daily life."

Cassi Namoda Cited In: Bomb Magazine, Myth and History: Cassi Namoda Interview by Will Fensternaker, Jan 2021 (onine) 

Though her wacky and odd subjects may appear simplistic - the present lot showcases a paired down playful, yet gruesome, tale — they are in fact heavy with complex narrative — pushing past the restrictive delineations of spiritualism and reality. Love and it's Unfortunate Circumstances is a perfect representation of Namoda’s idiosyncratic, symbolic and entangled world. 

Having lived in Haiti, the USA, Kenya, Benin and Uganda, Cassi Namoda’s work reflects her varied experiences and the many people and cultures she has experienced along the way. Yet, despite the many cultural and mythical references cycled through, Namoda keeps us grounded in familiarity, using recurring subjects and imagery in her work.