Uman

Uman (born 1980) is a self-taught Somali-born contemporary artist whose work blends abstraction and figuration, with references to Arabic calligraphy and the natural world. She is based in upstate New York.

Biography Uman was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. At age nine, her family relocated to Mombasa, Kenya to escape the Somali Civil War. Uman moved to Denmark to live with an aunt at 13.

Uman does not have a formal arts education, but spent a lot of time drawing and sewing as a child. She reportedly got in trouble at school for doodling on her desk.

In the early 2000s, the artist moved to New York City, where she sold her artwork on the street.

Artwork Uman's artistic practice spans painting, drawing, sculpture, and mixed media, although she is best known for her paintings. Her compositions, which she often refers to as "self-portraits,"

Career Uman participated in group art shows in New York City beginning in 2012. The artist's first solo show was at While Columns in 2015.

Her work was included in the 2024 exhibition Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). In October 2025 the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Connecticut presented a solo exhibition entitled Uman: After all the things ....