All Of It – “Uman's Art on Display Around the City”

Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Uman (Artist)
Original Air Date: October 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of All Of It explores the work and story of Uman, a Somali-born, Kenya-raised, and Albany-based visual artist whose art is currently featured in two major exhibitions: her first museum solo show at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and a new gallery show at Nicola Vassall Gallery in Manhattan. Host Alison Stewart converses with Uman about her creative process, her journey from East Africa to New York, the formative role of women in her life, and the meaning behind her immersive, mixed-media works.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Preparing Two Concurrent Art Shows

• Dual Venues, Different Vibes:
  • Uman talks about the chaotic intensity of mounting two shows at once:

    "It's been a lot of chaos. Just waiting for Saturday so I can... take a breath and relax. It's been a wild year." (03:07)

  • The Aldrich exhibition (Ridgefield, CT) is described as "very meditative... about evolution and calmness and stillness," and runs until May.
  • The Nicola Vassall Gallery show (Chelsea, NYC) represents more "immediate work... explorations," presenting a contrast of stillness and dynamism. (03:27)

Mixed Media — Defining Uman’s Practice

• Approach to Materials:
  • Uman sees mixed media as essential to her identity as an artist:

    "It defines who I am... I don't like to be boxed in... I'm constantly experimenting and making things." (04:12)

  • She recounts a piece originally intended as a hinged window or door, converted instead into a ceiling-hanging series combining canvas with furniture upholstery:

    "It looked so beautiful, almost hypnotic, the little dots... I'm starting this as a new series." (05:47)

Art Rooted in Memory and Place

• Motifs and Personal History:
  • Uman describes wall-painting at Nicola Vassall Gallery featuring "tusks," a subconscious tribute to the iconic, colonial-era street tusks in Mombasa, Kenya:

    "There's this huge [set of] tusks on the street in Mombasa... built in the 50s, during colonial time. That just came to me—magical, you know? ...my little piece of memory in the show." (06:05)

Textile Manipulation and Process

• Sewing and Upcycling Canvases:
  • Uman recycles and sews together canvas scraps, treating them like a puzzle:

    "I never wanted to discard them... When you sew them together, they can become something beautiful... upcycled." (07:33)

• Unprimed Canvas and Paint Application:
  • She enjoys working with unprimed canvas, applying acrylics and oils directly by hand for a sense of authenticity:

    "I do prepare them with my hand without a brush, and I just smear the paint." (08:15)

Geometry, Scale, and Viewer Perspective

• Rhapsodic Abstraction and Scale:
  • Uman’s large canvases are structured with grids, each box "a different painting":

    "The big canvas comes first... The lines are not perfect, but [it] allows me to sit in these small spaces and make little worlds." (09:54)

• Vision and Intimacy:
  • She exploits her poor eyesight to view her work at varying distances, encouraging viewers to do the same:

    "Sometimes I paint without my glasses and then put them on and get a completely different perspective... I hope that people see them that way—go back and go closer to find something that makes sense to you." (10:37)

Influences: Childhood, Migration, and Being an Outsider

• Early Encounters with Art:
  • Uman didn’t truly "see" art until adulthood in Europe, despite being surrounded by beauty in East Africa:

    "We had art around us, but... no explanation or definition for what it was... I didn't see art, in a sense, until I was in Europe." (11:20)

• Formative Role of Women:
  • The significant influence of her aunties and other women figures, providing affirmation and freedom:

    "Women have been very important in my life... Those adults are important in children's lives... And allowing you to be yourself, that’s one thing my aunts did for me." (12:31–13:29)

  • Uman acknowledges the challenge of rebellion within a conservative culture and the importance of travel (Denmark, New York) for personal freedom:

    "If you're a rebel... you have this backlash." (13:49)
    "I think New York was the first place I ever felt quite alone, in a good way..." (14:12)

New York City, Upstate, and Creative Solitude

• Arriving in New York:
  • Uman tells of arriving naive but "fearless," embracing the city’s freedom and energy:

    "I was very naive and... fearless. You have your youth, and you're fearless... It gave me that early freedom to be myself and run wild." (15:06)

• Seeking Space, Country Life, and Animals:
  • Drawn to upstate New York for room to work and dream of countryside living, complete with sheep, chickens, and “a smaller, more achievable” slice of English pastoralism:

    "This need to have space was always there... I used to read these old English magazines... I always wanted to have that, you know." (16:32–17:37)

• Discipline and Voice:
  • Years of solitary artistic practice, sans gallery representation, helped her refine both routine and creative voice:

    "I was just working and working. I worked like as if I did [have gallery rep]... It gave me the discipline to find my voice." (17:42)

• Return to Urban Proximity with Albany Studio:
  • Recent move to Albany for connection, accessibility, and strategic studio location:

    "No one has an excuse not to come visit me because I'm seven minutes from the Amtrak... I needed this exposure." (18:10)

The Aldrich Museum Show – A Shift in Perspective

• Curators and Institutional Space:
  • Uman expresses gratitude for curator Amy Stewart and reflects on the shift from anti-institution outsider to museum exhibitor:

    "I've always said this is not the path for me... But it came at the perfect time... It is great to have a curator have faith in you and give you the space to just be free." (19:11)

From Union Square to Two Major Exhibitions

• From Humble Beginnings to Recognition:
  • Uman sold artwork in Union Square before these major shows; now, reflecting on the emotional weight and gratitude she feels:

    "It's really good. Emotionally, I could cry just thinking about it... I feel truly blessed, really do." (20:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mixed Media and Creative Identity:
  • “It defines who I am... I don't like to be boxed in, you know, so I do love... I'm constantly experimenting and making things.” — Uman (04:12)
• On Childhood Influences:
  • “Those adults are important in children's lives. And allowing you to be yourself, that's one thing my aunts did for me was like, yeah, you're okay.” — Uman (13:29)
• On Embracing Artistic Recognition:
  • “It's really good. It's really good emotionally. I could cry just thinking about it... I feel truly blessed, really do.” — Uman (20:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:07] – Chaos of preparing two concurrent exhibitions
• [04:12] – Mixed media as central to Uman’s practice
• [06:05] – Painting tusks and memories of Mombasa
• [07:33] – Sewing and upcycling canvas scraps
• [09:54] – Large canvases, grid structures, and viewer engagement
• [11:20] – First meaningful encounters with art
• [12:31–13:29] – The vital role of aunties and women mentors
• [15:06] – Arriving in New York: fearlessness and early freedom
• [16:32–17:37] – Moving upstate: a longing for country and solitude
• [17:42] – Discipline and finding her voice through solitary practice
• [18:10] – Move to Albany for community and exposure
• [19:11] – Stepping into institutional recognition at the Aldrich
• [20:54] – Emotional impact of recognition and gratitude

Conclusion

This episode offers an intimate look at Uman’s artistic world—a blend of memory, migration, material experimentation, and deep gratitude. Her reflections traverse continents and cultures, affirming the importance of creative freedom, personal history, mentorship, and perseverance in carving out space for one’s unique vision. Those interested in abstraction, mixed media, and immigrant or queer narratives in contemporary art will find Uman’s journey—and her warmth—illuminating and inspiring.