Uman (HC) (2026)

The first comprehensive book on the expansive, kaleidoscopic work of Somali American artist Uman

Uman's work across painting, drawing, textile, sculpture, and murals fuses abstraction, figuration, and meditative patterning. Known for her vivid color palettes, rich vocabulary of signs, and fluid, improvisational gestures, Uman incorporates various influences into her art, including East African textiles, portraiture, and a profound engagement with the natural world. This book, which accompanies the artist's major survey exhibition at the Hessel Museum of Art, Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, includes more than 200 works made over the last twenty years, along with four insightful essays that introduce new lenses through which to view Uman's remarkable practice.