Ash Uman (Ugandan, born 1965)
Untitled, undated
Signed ‘Ash’ (middle left)
Acrylic on canvas
88.9 x 115.8 cm
Ksh 120,000–200,000
(US$ 1,100–1,800)
Sold Ksh 187,840
Provenance: private collection
Born in Kampala, Ash Uman moved at a young age to Nairobi where he attended secondary school and undertook numerous jobs including working as a cartographer and research assistant, alongside which he began painting. His first solo exhibition was in 1989 in Nairobi, and shortly afterwards he became a full-time painter.
From early on, Uman’s paintings played with narrative, reference and stylistic dialogue, conveying a subtle, surrealist criticality of notions of African aesthetics. As his work progressed, he continued to be engaged with art historical notions such as the masquerade as well as being driven by a sensitivity to touch and light.
From the 1990s, Uman’s works have been exhibited frequently across East Africa; in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as well as in Italy and The Netherlands.