prosopagnosia

["Prosopagnosia (sometimes known as face blindness) is a disorder of face perception where the ability to recognize faces is impaired, while the ability to recognize objects may be relatively intact."]

There is currently an exhibition at the LACMA that features works by one of my favorite artists, René Magritte. Several other contemporary artists also have work on display in the exhibit, which explores "The Treachery of Images." The exhibit appears to be beautifully designed.

Images are a source of information that help us to construct our understandings of reality. The theory that human perception is a subjective psychological phenomenon arguably served as inspiration for the surrealist movement within the world of art and visual representation. Magritte's works explore reality as a construct, as well as the perceptual disconnect between dreams and reality. It seems that such dream-like imagery might advocate for freedom from the restrictive nature of the rational, socially imposed "reality" of existence. (I think Freud would be proud.)

image credit: Magritte; originally uploaded by _PaulS_