In Between provides a glimpse into two decades of art by Uman (b. 1980, Somalia), highlighting key moments and innovations in the trajectory of this prolific and pathbreaking artist. Uman’s distinct visual vocabulary first emerges in early paintings, collages, and drawings, then expands into large-scale and densely layered compositions. Always, her process is one of constant working and reworking to enliven a primary set of signs, symbols, colors and textures.
Uman’s art has often been framed through biography: her winding path as an immigrant, and her evolution as a self-taught artist. This exhibition shifts the focus toward the techniques and themes of her work, examining her exploration of the natural world, the variability of selfhood, and the capacities of color. In her art, color is both material and memory. Her vibrant palette, which seems to invite each color to be its fullest self, expresses sensation, dreams, landscapes, and history, and her surfaces are tactile. Among many inventive approaches, she has eschewed paintbrushes in favor of using her fingers, directly touching paint to the surface, and stitched together her own canvases from found fabrics. For Uman, any material—whether scavenged junk or gallery walls—is a candidate for covering with radiant, expressive mark-making.
In Between highlights the artist’s rigorous experimentation, her commitment to challenging scale and convention, positioning her as one of the most vital and original painters at work today.
Exhibition Organization and Credits
Uman: In Between is organized by CCS Bard’s Hessel Museum of Art and curated by Lauren Cornell.