Uman: In Between at CCS Bard traces two decades of radical experimentation, memory and material transformation
23 June 2026
Few painters working today command colour with the freedom, intensity and emotional charge of Uman. Opening at the Hessel Museum of Art, CCS Bard, ‘Uman: In Between’ offers the most comprehensive survey of the Somali-born artist’s practice to date, bringing together more than 100 works spanning two decades of fearless experimentation and invention.
Curated by Lauren Cornell, the exhibition moves beyond biographical readings of Uman’s life as an immigrant and self-taught artist, instead foregrounding the formal language that has made her one of the most compelling painters of her generation. Through paintings, collages, drawings and newly commissioned murals, visitors encounter an expansive visual world where abstraction, figuration and pattern exist in constant dialogue.
Drawing on memories of East Africa, Arabic calligraphic traditions, dreams and the natural world, Uman creates richly layered compositions animated by radiant colour and tactile surfaces. Working with found fabrics, unconventional materials and even her own fingers in place of brushes, she transforms painting into an act of direct, physical engagement.
At once intimate and monumental, ‘In Between’ reveals an artist continually reinventing the possibilities of image making, offering a rare opportunity to witness the evolution of a singular and profoundly influential artistic vision.
This exhibition will be on view at the Hessel Museum of Art in New York from 27 June until 29 November 2026.
