Uman

b. 1980, Somalia

Uman is a multimedia artist who lives and works in upstate New York.

She creates lavishly detailed microcosms replete with color, gesture, geometry and evocations of the natural world. Reflecting her experiences growing up across continents and cultures, her vibrant visual vocabulary draws upon memories of East African childhood, rigorous education in traditional Arabic calligraphy, deep engagement with dreams and fascination with kaleidoscopic color. With nods to self-portraiture and fictional topographies, Uman’s works fluidly inhabit a liminal space between abstraction, figuration and meditative patterning.  

Solo exhibitions include Uman: A Fantastic Woman, Hauser & Wirth, Zurich, Switzerland (2025); Darling sweetie, sweetie darling, Hauser and Wirth, London (2024); Uman: I want everything now, Nicola Vassell, New York (2023); Goodnight, sweetdreams, Eleni Koroneou, Athens (2022); I hope this finds you well, Fierman, New York (2021); I will sit here and wait for you, Fierman, New York (2019) and Uman, White Columns, New York (2015). Group exhibitions include The Selves, Nicola Vassell Gallery, New York (2024); Abstraction, (re)creation, Le Consortium, Dijon (2024); Supra Nature, Anne De Villepoix, Paris, France (2023); Sanctuary, Aga Khan Museum, Toronto (2020) and A house to die in, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (2012). Uman’s first solo institutional exhibition will be at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Connecticut (2025), to be followed by a survey exhibition at the Hessel Museum, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York (2026).