Every year, Cranford Collection invites an artist to create a special project for its spectacular link room designed by David Chipperfield. Each project is presented alongside a new installation of artworks from the Collection displayed throughout the house.

In 2024, Cranford Collection invited Cassi Namoda to conceive a project for the link room. As with previous editions by Isabella Ducrot (2023) and Matthew Lutz-Kinoy (2022), the project considers the architecture and function of the room as a hosting space.

Cassi Namoda presents 4 new paintings of stylized brightly colored exotic birds, picking at a crumbling cake. The pleasant scene is tainted by a darker overtone, the red jam oozing from the cake reminiscent of blood, the gaze of the birds both mocking and menacing, the cake falling apart. The four paintings are called Tropical Carnage. As often the case in Namoda’s work, they evoke natural world in a slightly twisted manner: pushing the colors, patterns and composition into a dreamy and surreal dimension. The birds eating a cake reflect the function of the dining room where they are exhibited, gently yet menacingly towering over future guests. Their exoticism is a colorful disguise for a comment on the predatory nature of neo-colonialism, feeding shamelessly on African’s resources.  Namoda has collaborated with Beyrouth’s designer Rym Beydoun (Super Yaya) to conceive a spectacular tablecloth and banners as a stage to welcome events throughout the length of the project.

Photography: Richard Ivey


About Cassi Namoda

Cassi Namoda (b. 1988 Maputo, Mozambique. Lives and works in Biella) is an artist who explores the intricacies of social dynamics through vivid scenes that intermingle the heartfelt with the absurd, the quotidian with the cosmic, the joyous with the macabre. Born in Maputo to a Mozambican mother and American father, Namoda negotiates the intricacies of mixed cultural heritage in her work, intricacies that reflect the wider cultural dynamics of a formerly colonized nation in an increasingly globalized world. Namoda’s work is characterized by its vibrant color palette and poignant storytelling, blending realism with a touch of surrealism. Her paintings frequently depict everyday scenes imbued with a sense of intimacy and emotional depth, capturing moments of joy, melancholy, and resilience. Through her art, she addresses the nuanced interplay of cultural heritage and contemporary existence, offering a deeply personal yet universally resonant perspective.