2022 Joint Mathematics Meetings
Aiman Soliman
Artists
Aiman Soliman
Research Scientist
NCSA - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, Illinois, USA
Statement
Mathematical art is a unique form of artistic expression. Unlike other forms of art, the rigor of mathematics provides a guide for the imagination, although it could be restrictive sometimes compared to free artistic expression. Yet, these strict mathematical rules allow for judging, objectively, the success of an art project. I also find that mathematical artists share a similar experience with scientists in that solving a problem will usually lead to discovering another and, therefore, the continuation of their work in a natural way.
Artworks
Homage to the Paradox, a triptych.
50 x 70 cm
Archival Digital Print
2021
Bertrand Russell, MC Escher, Zeno of Elea, and Oscar Reutersvärd explored paradoxes in mathematics, logic, and visual arts. This triptych is designed to celebrate paradoxes by unifying a flat tessellation with a 3D impossible object. Three motifs of flying crows were developed by adopting distinctive matching rules on the three-axis of the hexagonal grid and used to construct an impossible flying path. The triptych reads the world as it appears, the paradox, and the interruption that allows us to step outside our daily routines to re-examine our thoughts. The style of the triptych is influenced by Japanese painting, especially Rinpa, Shijō school, and the Zen ink paintings, where the latter adopt paradoxes as a way for enlightenment.