As part of National Science Week, we’re asking one deliciously strange question: How does the mind make meaning from images – and why do some artworks linger in our memory with such vivid, almost intrusive force?

Join us at the NFSA Canberra for “Ruben Brandt, Collector”, a night where paintings slip out of their frames, experts lose their footing and obsession becomes its own kind of gallery.

This wildly inventive film turns famous artworks into psychological tricksters invading Ruben Brandt’s dreams. It’s a perfect Science Week provocation:

-What does cognitive science/psychology tell us about why certain images “haunt” us?
-How do expertise, perception and bias shape what we think we know?
-Why does the brain blur the line between appreciation, mastery and obsession?
-And in an age of AI and remix culture, how do we understand originality and influence?

Expect a conversation that’s part art theory, part psychology, part detective story. 🤩 If you love Picasso, Hopper, Warhol, surreal heists or just the thrill of seeing culture turned inside out, this one’s for you!😁

Book your seats here: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/whats-on/science-art-film-ruben-brandt-collector-4606!