Cassi Nomada

Cassi Nomada is a Mozambican painter currently living and working in Italy.

Borrowing from magical realism, folklore, and photographic film-stills, Nomada’s artwork straddles dual ideologies to confront the art historical canon.

What is art historical canon? Generally, the canon is the group of artworks, artists, and styles that historians and institutions have traditionally considered the most important or influential in the history of art. But the canon has been founded upon Western and Eurocentric ideals, meaning artists from unseen groups and regions of the world have gone overlooked for centuries.

As a result, it’s important for many contemporary artists to challenge the canon from time to time. Cassi Nomada does this by combining her multicultural identity with her special fascination with seeing the world around her. This world changes often – having settled in Kampala, New York, San Francisco, and more!

Ultimately, the results of Nomada’s “seeing” are as much of a story as they are a piece of art! In profoundness and intensity, she captures a wide range of emotions and aesthetics through illustrated narratives. These narratives are historical stories of colonialism, postcolonialism, and discrimination, brought to life through her canvases.

Learn More

• Instagram
• Artist Biography
• Interview: When We See Us
• Interview: The Sense of Saudade
• Interview: New Additions
• Article: How I Became an Artist
• Article: What it Means to be a Painter

Selected Works

• Landscape with Child Crossing the Styx (2021): A reimagining of Patinir’s Landscape with Charon Crossing the Styx (1520-1524), a mythological allegory in the Western canon, in the context of Mozambican independence.
• Little is Enough For Those with Love Mimi Nakupenda (2019): A warm painting showcasing feelings of togetherness, centered in love of all forms, that is based on the Swahili statement of “I love you”.
• The Joy of Living, Outweighs Misery and Sorrow (2020): A simple painting of a girl in crutches – or perhaps there is more to her life than it seems? Her struggle to walk is offset by a deeper sense of appreciation for the world around her.

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Discussion Questions

1. Refer to the selected works list and find Cassi Nomada’s Landscape with Child Crossing the Styx. After viewing the piece, compare it to its Western counterpart.
   • This counterpart, Charon Crossing the Styx, embodies the common values of the Western canon. How does Nomada’s approach differ?
   • Based on your answer, what can you say the Western canon valued? What do you think Nomada values? Think about the subject, medium, techniques, and narratives in each painting.
2. How do you think Nomada’s experiences abroad influenced her paintings?
3. Read about magical realism. What stands out to you? How do you think Cassi Nomada exemplifies this discipline?

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This artist was submitted by Evelyn Logan, Student and Artist based in Tio’tia:ke/Mooniyang.

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