A total of 50 artworks in convex-shaped canvas, plus more than 50 oil and mixed media paintings are set to go on show at the Bahrain National Museum tomorrow (April 11).

Themed Convex: a New Perspective, the two-month solo exhibition by art movement patron Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, will feature his work created between 2002 and 2010.

During the 1990s, Shaikh Rashid endeavoured to create a three-dimensional work that could stand unsupported on the floor.

After initially experimenting with a prism formation made of canvas and wood, an 'accidental discovery' led to the birth of the convex canvas.

"The convex canvas gives the paintings an additional dimension and a more tangible life-likeness," said Shaikh Rashid, who is also the Interior Ministry Under-Secretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs.

"When I first stood back to take a look at one of these pieces, I was really drawn to the added dimension. It gives my painting a new perspective,” he added.

Using the convex canvas, Shaikh Rashid allowed himself the freedom to move away from portraying recognisable elements in his work. Colours merge and accidental splashes of paint are embraced, not corrected.

His pieces are multi-layered. The layers of paint are scraped, scratched and excavated with combs, knives and sandpaper to reveal hidden movement and depth.

The finished effect is something like a mountain range of abstract colour with peaks and valleys, a highly coloured planet seen from afar. However, these works are not literally representative of a planet or a mountain - these are paintings without subject.

With his most recent convex works, new materials have been introduced such as lacquer paint, fabric and glue to complement the canvas' curvature.

"The convex shape advances towards the viewer and pulls him or her into the picture," explained Shaikh Rashid.

"It diminishes the separation between the viewer and the canvas on the wall, it closes the gap."

At the exhibition, viewers will witness the progression of Shaikh Rashid's work from landscape to figuration, from figuration towards abstraction and finally, to convex art. – TradeArabia News Service