Mayasa Al Sowaidi : Revisiting the essence of Tea
Bringing together historical narratives of the West and the Middle East and to demonstrate the cultural richness of Bahrain, Mayasa Al Sowaidi will be presenting her series “Art of Tea” in collaboration with Corinne Timsit Art Advisory (CT2A). More than 20 artworks will be exhibited in this exploration of the theme of tea, its transcendence and essence through its transformation as a tool for artistic creation and expression.
Mayasa Al Sowaidi builds metaphorical bridges between the art of ceremonial tea-tasting and aesthetical and visual art. Artifact of everyday life, tea is nevertheless one of the most fundamental products of globalization, historically significant and culturally important as a ritual experience, also spiritual, creating social unity.
“Tea is a drink of rich heritage. Just as a collage relies on the recycling of used materials, so the tea leaves were given another chance at immortality, by affixing them onto a canvas for us to taste in another form, to sip art differently.”
Like papyrus or parchments, the tea leaves are fully integrated on the eroded canvas, colored in imitation of the brewing water. Tea bags are covered by recurring motifs of static birds anchored on branches, or keys and locks images. They reveal themselves as symbols of freedom to reach in our materialistic world of over-consumption, as human beings or ‘non-beings’ reduced to numbers.
Mayasa Al Sowaidi had also been part of the Bahrain Art Week 2018 at the Grand Palais, showcasing many artists of the Bahrain art scene, growing with emerging talents and artistic energy. Far from misconceptions, the important position of women artists in Bahrain is not new, regarding the cultural and unique specificity of the island country globally renowned for its natural pearl production. While men went fishing for months to find pearls, the country’s responsibility was left to the female population who still hold today a great power in the society.
Not solely a self-taught painter, Mayasa Al Sowaidi also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Bahrain and is currently completing her doctorate – with her research paper focusing on emotional intelligence – at the Management School of Grenoble, France.
The artist explores in her artistic practice since 2005 her own freedom of expression and creativity, and the notions of harmony, balance, and order as components of her apparent fragile collages. Her pieces reflect her skills as a writer as well as that of an artist, each telling a unique story.