Media Center

The Art Center of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities hosted an exhibition opening, the “Golden Ratio” by artist Dr. Mayasa Al-Sowaidi, under the generous patronage of His Excellency Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, President of the National Council for Arts. The exhibition was curated by French Modern Art expert Corinne Timsit. The event was attended by H.E Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, President of the Culture Authority, in addition to the presence of a number of plastic artists and those interested in cultural affairs in Bahrain, and media professionals.

This exhibition sheds light on the relationship between the arts and mathematics, two worlds that seem contradictory at first glance, but upon deeper research, a great similarity can be found between them, as the realization of beauty in mathematics lies in examining the patterns formed by numbers. The golden ratio is based on the mathematical sequence called "Fibonacci" in relation to the mathematician who discovered it, where the number in this sequence is the sum of the two numbers that precede it, and when dividing any two consecutive numbers in this series, the result is the "phi" ratio, also called: the golden number. The Fibonacci sequence appears in many patterns in the natural world, especially in trees, plants, and flowers.

With regard to the title and the idea of the exhibition, Dr. Al-Sowaidi said: “Because of my study of mathematics and my specialization in it, I was attracted to mathematical equations and geometric shapes. I find that I subconsciously follow them in my drawing style, in composition, coloring, and formation, so my paintings were not devoid of numbers and calculations, as mathematics is hidden in works.” Great art and our task is to search for it and try to realize. Al –Sowaidi added saying: “I chose the golden ratio to be the subject of my own exhibition at the Art Center, as it is a distinctive aesthetic artistic formula, embodied in the golden number, which may seem like an ordinary number at first glance, but in fact, it is one of the most controversial numbers in history. Every work we do, in various fields of life, is beautiful and perfect, making it a creative work.”

Commenting on this exhibition, the Syrian plastic critic Ghazi Ana said the first thing we notice in this exhibition (The Golden Ratio) by the Bahraini plastic artist Dr. Mayasa Al-Sowaidi, which is, in my opinion, the most distinguished in her rich and relatively short experience, is the widening margin of freedom in her choice of the title, which at first glance seems problematic and incomprehensible. However, it involves in depth the enrichment of the value of aesthetics in the artwork, as the artist employed all her resources, tools and service materials for expressions. Certainly, the ultimate and primary purpose of any creative product or painting is attained through the harmony of more than one form or logic on the same surface of the same work, and thus benefiting from the available elements for the success of the painting.

Worth to mention that that Dr. Mayasa Al-Sowaidi is an artist, academic, and member of the Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer at the University of Bahrain. She holds a Ph.D. from Grenoble University in Management in France in 2019, and holds a BA in Mathematics from the University of Bahrain. She participated in many local, regional and international exhibitions and workshops and won many art awards. With the artist's background in mathematics, balance and order are important components of her artistic practice.