A special event that examines the act of kissing from a variety of viewpoints – psychological, anthropological and art historical – and what lies at the root of the subject’s power.

The image of kissing is a common motif across human creative endeavour, from the 11,000-year-old Ain Sakhri figure to the works of Rodin, Canova and Klimt. However, kissing has not been a universal across human cultures through history, and its representations can be deeply varied in their function and meaning depending on their context.

This event is chaired by Principal and Chief Executive of the City Lit Mark Malcomson, panellists include mythologist and storyteller Seema Anand, and psychiatrist, philosopher and writer Neel Burton.