Eleni Koroneou Gallery is pleased to present Nice to meet you, again, the second solo exhibition at the gallery by Somali-born artist Uman. The exhibition brings together paintings on canvas alongside an evolving series of geometric, kaleidoscopic compositions that highlight the artist’s distinctive visual vocabulary.

Uman’s artistic practice is defined by an intuitive and intensely physical approach to painting. Working simultaneously across multiple canvases and often moving between different works, she develops her surfaces with an openness to gesture, structure, and spontaneity. She applies paint directly to the canvas with her fingers, while using oil sticks and brushes to develop linear elements. Her surfaces are continuously worked and reworked through a process of layering, removal, and transformation. Recurring symbols and motifs, including eyes and orbs, run throughout the paintings, while Uman’s vibrant colour palette heightens their visual energy.

The exhibition presents a new series of square paintings, which the artist calls rainbow paintings. Each painting consists of an intense monochromatic background — ranging from deep blue and green to warm brown, orange, and plum — overlaid with a black grid that creates the impression of a mosaic. Within the triangular and rhomboid sections of the grid, individual symbols emerge: pulsating dots, eyes, stripes, and calligraphic gestures.

Memories of Somali and Kenyan textiles, Persian calligraphy, personal experiences, and Uman’s deep connection to nature come together to form a multilayered visual vocabulary. These diverse references intertwine through vibrant colours, intricate patterns, and recurring forms, shaping a visual world that is dynamic, exploratory, and sensual.