Descartes placed dualism at the centre of philosophical thinking: mind and matter, body and soul, I and other. When we remove this dualistic language of sign and signifier, name and form, what are we left with?
In this presentation I seek to show how Magritte’s art provides the setting and space for us to experience a greater reality beyond what we conventionally perceive and experience.
Referencing the Treachery of Images painting and others I explore the conventions of a rationalistic binary mode of seeing, and how we can use Magritte’s work to transcend this.
“We are surrounded by curtains. We only perceive the world behind a curtain of semblance. At the same time, an object needs to be covered in order to be recognized at all.”
The presentation includes two pieces of video art, both inspired by Magritte.