In art terminology, the notion of trompe l’oeil describes a pictorial technique that aims to create a visual illusion, and thus “cheats” our vision. The process of cognitive perception is in that sense fallible and subject to manipulation. Adapting this process of illusion to the way our memory works, Social Trompe l’Œil questions the reliability of our individual memory and its complex processes of association and perception. In direct interaction with the public, and on the borders between performance, psychological experiment and sociological study, Tania Bruguera’s performative work explores how the construction of both our collective history and personal identity mingles, impacting our social perception and our relationship to others.

This performance has been conceived in collaboration with Dr Julia Shaw, psychologist and lecturer specialized in criminology. All her research is available here.

 

Curator: Vittoria Matarrese
Project managers: Alice Giudicenti with Léa Derville and Licia Demuro, assisted by Aurore Forray.