‘Surrealism & Psychoanalysis: Conquest of the Irrational?’ – Dr Sharon Kivland at conference at The Anna Freud Centre

Dr Sharon Kivland will be giving a reading entitled The Missed Encounter: A disappointment, an ear, and a snail at the Surrealism & Psychoanalysis: Conquest of the Irrational? conference taking place at The Anna Freud Centre in London on Sunday 27 January 2019. You can find the programme online here and the abstracts here.

“It would be very interesting to investigate analytically how a picture like this came to be painted.” – Freud

In 1938 Salvador Dalí met Freud in London, bringing with him his painting Metamorphosis of Narcissus and a new article about his ‘paranoiac-critical’ method, first described in his book Conquest of the Irrational.

Freud was an inspiration for the Surrealists and they were well-versed in his ideas, particularly his work on dream theory, free association, and investigations into the workings of the unconscious. In the 1924 Surrealist Manifesto, André Breton defined Surrealism as “pure psychic automatism”, in other words, the uncensored workings of the unconscious. In later years Jacques Lacan’s close relationship with the Surrealists led to a lasting bond that continued to link psychoanalysis and surrealism until the present day. Can the paranoiac-critical method be a valid means of understanding psychosis?

This conference will address psychoanalysis and its impact on Surrealism and the impact of Surrealism on psychoanalysis, bringing together art historians, psychoanalysts, authors and artists to reflect on the many facets of this relationship.

Surrealism & Psychoanalysis: Conquest of the Irrational?
The Anna Freud Centre, London NW3 5SU
Sunday 27 January 2019, 10AM – 5.30PM

Dr Sharon Kivland is a Reader in Fine Art at Sheffield Hallam University. Find out more about Sharon Kivland’s books and other works here.