
Materiality & Space – Artworks by Kevin Umana
It’s fantastic when a creative tries their best to bring together two worlds and really reshape how we see the world. This is why I wanted to bring forward the work of Kansas City-based Kevin Umana who uses bright colour to stir our emotions, offering a starting point to alter our mode of thinking.
Umaña examines the connections among form, composition, and colour in his work, emphasising materiality, space, and perspective by subtly altering them. He creates his paintings using common materials such as gouache, acrylic, stucco, sand, marble dust, and fabric paste. The works seem simple and clean, yet they are raw, textured, and gestural upon closer inspection.
The titles of Umaña’s works reference locations that are important to him. The works aim to minimize the superfluous details of these experiences and instead focus on the essential elements. These are then synthesized to create a unique visual language. This process helps Umaña to underline the memories, senses, and emotions associated with these places.
I hope you will jump on over to his portfolio via the link below to see his ‘Hybrid’ and ‘Ceramic’ paintings that really mesh together a multitude of art forms in a cohesive manner.