Artphilia

Scent in the Middle East is more than just a fashionable accessory; it is a cultural symbol deeply ingrained in daily life and special occasions. Oman’s pavilion was titled “Malath-Haven” (Malath means harbour in Arabic) and featured works by five Omani artists: Alia Al Farsi, Ali Al Jabri, Essa Al Mufarji, Sarah Al Olaqi, and Adham Al Farsi. Both Ali Al Jabri and Sarah Al Olaqi used scent as a mark of hospitality, triggering visitors’ memories and sense of home in their installations.   Al Olaqi created a sculpture of a niqab made of spoons titled “Breaking Bread”, symbolising the strength of Omani women. On the opening day, she welcomed visitors to the space by wafting bakhoor smoke on their clothes. This is a traditional Omani way of showing hospitality to visitors when they enter and leave your home. The bakhoor she used was made from Omani frankincense and the smell immediately transported you to her home environment. Ali Al Jabri has created five marble sculptures for his installation “Water”. Each one is inlaid with pine from Oman, and presents its individual experience to the visitor when they look inside the sculpture. Al Jabri has filled one of them with crushed cardamom, referencing the practice of people bringing ingredients from their homes with them when they travel. He explained that he wanted to share the scent of Oman so “visitors are left with a good memory”. The sculpture will be replenished with cardamom throughout the duration of the exhibition. Photos by Wayne Chisnall Words by Holly Howe #omanpavillion #venicebinnale #omaninvenice #AliaAlFarsi #SarahAlOlaqi #البندقية #scents #hospitality #immersiveart

Memory Reaches Further Than the Eyes… an invitation to explore Pre-Raphaelites paintings with both the sense of sight AND smell. Announcing Artphilia’s collaboration with PUIG’s Airparfum olfactory technology for The Barber Institute of Fine Arts The exhibition features some of the most iconic works by Pre-Raphaelite painters in collections across the UK, including Tate, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford and Birmingham Museum of Art Three specifically created scents, based on Dr Christina Bradstreet's eye-opening research ‘Scented Visions Smell in Art, 1850-1914’, allow us to explore the artist’s intentions in a whole new way, connecting them to our emotions and memories, as only the sense of smell allows us to do. Thank you to the team who has made this exhibition happen Professor Jennifer Powell, Robert Wenley, Vicky Skelding-Bloor at the Barber Institutie of Fine Arts, Alistair Burtenshaw FRSA, Sarah Jarvis at the Watts Gallery to which the exhibition tours in 2025 and the outstanding scent creation and best-in-class AirParfum olfactory technology by Camila Tomas, Gregorio Sola Vela, Ana Guasch Seculi at Puig.

Koo Jeong A’s minimalist exhibition for this year’s Korean Pavilion, “ODORAMA CITIES”, uses scents and their unique link to memories as cross-cultural references, adding an invisible, uniquely personal dimension to this public space. 16 scents are being diffused throughout the pavilion, the most noticeable being dispersed via the nostrils of a suspended bronze figure, others more discreet in the seating areas. Fire up your noses and tune into this environment that appeals to all the senses. Perfumers created scents in response to a public call by the artist asking “What is your scent memory of Korea?” during Frieze Seoul. 3D animations shown in the Gangnam District encouraged audiences to submit Smell Memories via a QR code. They received over 600 responses which led to the creation of some uniquely Korean scents, like 'The scent of Seoul' created by Joa Kim (김정아), a Korean perfumer based in Singapore with Key Notes of Labdanum resinoid, a mushy smell accord and a crowd smell accord or 'Jangdokdae' the smell of traditional Korean earthen jars used for ageing Go-Chu-Jang, Kimchi created by Camille Piret Others seem to transcend national borders, triggering similar emotive memories, like 'Grandparents' House' created by Nelly HACHEM RUIZ, releasing the deep and woody character of luxurious Healingwood paired with Coolwood to draw the emotional smell of grandparents' house or the 'Salty Smell' created by Paul Guerlain with Keynotes Salty Accord, Humidity Accord and Sea Accord. which I enjoyed relating to the three Seascape scents we recently developed for Christie's London and my memories of the ocean. Take your time, slow down and discover this unconventional environment which equally transports you to other places and reconnects you with your memories, expertly curated by Seolhui Lee and Jacob Fabricius Scent visualisation of 'Odorama Cities' scent by WikiParfum www.wikiparfum.com (Sandalwood, Armoise, Incense and Tuberose). Photos from the Biennale by Wayne Chisnall. Special thanks to Holly Howe for her words and wisdom. Don’t miss if in Venice Camila Tomas, Gregorio Sola Vela, Camille Latron, Cristina López Romero, Dr Christina Bradstreet, Professor Jennifer Powell, #venicebiennale #koreanpavilion2024 #odoramacities #hyundaiartlab

It’s not an easy feat to entice viewers at the Venice Biennale to NOT just look with their eyes - human or handheld. Yuko Mohri’s exhibition ‘Compose’ for the Japanese pavilion excels. By powering lights and drone sounds with locally sourced fruit the artist enticed viewers to look, listen and smell the decaying odours of the fruits. Decay is a key aspect in Yuko Mohri’s work, a reference to a theme in Buddhist paintings on the mediation of the nine stages of a decaying corpse, which has been portrayed in Japanese art since the 13th century (and since the 7th century in China) A joyful, multi-sensorial and uniquely intriguing pavillion experience curated by Sook-Kyung Lee Camila Tomas did you think of Josef Beuys’ Capri Battery from 1985, too? Photos by @waynechisnall #labiennale #venicebiennale #japanpavilion

Throwback to our olfactory exhibition at Christie's London, as sound and smell are running themes through many of this year's Venice Biennale pavillions. Our sense of smell adds a new dimension when enjoying art: deeply personal, emotional and uniquely memorable. Christie's Lucy Speelman Harriet West Penhaligon's Dominic Collingridge AirParfum Camila Tomas Camille Latron Cristina López Romero Gregorio Sola Vela #scentdiscovery #scentart #olfactory #scentexperience #puiginnovation #storytelling