Cassi Namoda was born in Maputo, Mozambique. She grew up traveling the world and now splits her time between Los Angeles and East Hampton. Lusotropicalism, which Namoda has been exploring in her work, is a double-edged sword of sorts. The idea was first suggested by Brazilian sociologist Gilberto Freyre in the early 20th century to describe the distinctive character of Portuguese imperialism, specifically within the African diaspora, and proposes that the Portuguese were better colonizers than other European nations. Questioning whether or not colonialism can be better or worse is a daring task to take up within the form of painting. Namoda—who has abstracted the term to make it “more of a style or sort of contemporary consciousness”—does not disappoint.