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Olfactory art
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Olfactory art
Olfactory art is an art form that uses scents as a medium. Olfactory art includes perfume as well as other applications of scent.
The art form has been a recognized genre since at least 1980. Marcel Duchamp was one of the first artists who pioneered with using scents in art.
In 1938, the poet Benjamin Péret roasted coffee behind screens at the Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme which was orchestrated by Marcel Duchamp, and was possibly one of the first true examples of olfactory art. (from the book "Salon to Biennial - Exhibitions that Made Art History", Volume 1: 1863-1959 Hardcover – July 2, 2008 by Bruce Altshuler)[citation needed]
A series of chess sets where the pieces could be distinguished only by scent were made by Takako Saito in 1965. Spice Chess and Smell Chess relied on the use of spices or scented liquids in the pieces. In Spice Chess, the black king was scented with asafetida, the black queen with cayenne, and the black bishops with cumin. The white pieces included cinnamon pawns, nutmeg rooks, ginger knights and an anise white queen.
Richard Wilson’s installation 20:50 (1987) is a prominent example of the use of industrial smell in contemporary art. The work consists of a gallery space filled to waist height with sump oil, producing an intense odour that accompanies the visual illusion of an apparently infinite surface. Critics have emphasised that the smell of oil is integral to the work’s psychological impact, reinforcing sensations of immersion, danger and disorientation.
Self-Portrait in Scent, Sketch no. 1 was a 1994 exhibit by Clara Ursitti at The Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, Scotland. It consisted of a small, specially constructed room outfitted with motion sensors and scent dispensers. Art historian Caro Verbeek, of the Vrije Universiteit and the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, cites this work as a breakthrough in both artistic and technological terms.
Nancy Rubins’ Mattresses and Cakes (1995) exemplifies olfactory art that engages both the senses and social critique. The work is composed of 59 salvaged mattresses bound together and layered with 299 Entenmann’s cakes, producing a large suspended sculpture whose sweet, decaying odours fill the exhibition space. The combination of salvaged materials and food emphasises excess and consumer culture, creating an experience that is simultaneously humorous, overwhelming, and uncomfortable. Rubins’ use of smell as a material component highlights its role in shaping audience perception and meaning.
Mona Hatoum’s installation Present Tense (1996) demonstrates the use of smell as a vehicle for cultural memory and political meaning. The work consists of olive oil soap blocks from Nablus embedded with red glass beads outlining fragmented Palestinian territories defined by the Oslo Accords. The scent of the soap has been noted as a key element of the installation, evoking domestic space, regional tradition and a sense of place while reinforcing the work’s engagement with displacement and political tension.
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Olfactory art
Olfactory art is an art form that uses scents as a medium. Olfactory art includes perfume as well as other applications of scent.
The art form has been a recognized genre since at least 1980. Marcel Duchamp was one of the first artists who pioneered with using scents in art.
In 1938, the poet Benjamin Péret roasted coffee behind screens at the Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme which was orchestrated by Marcel Duchamp, and was possibly one of the first true examples of olfactory art. (from the book "Salon to Biennial - Exhibitions that Made Art History", Volume 1: 1863-1959 Hardcover – July 2, 2008 by Bruce Altshuler)[citation needed]
A series of chess sets where the pieces could be distinguished only by scent were made by Takako Saito in 1965. Spice Chess and Smell Chess relied on the use of spices or scented liquids in the pieces. In Spice Chess, the black king was scented with asafetida, the black queen with cayenne, and the black bishops with cumin. The white pieces included cinnamon pawns, nutmeg rooks, ginger knights and an anise white queen.
Richard Wilson’s installation 20:50 (1987) is a prominent example of the use of industrial smell in contemporary art. The work consists of a gallery space filled to waist height with sump oil, producing an intense odour that accompanies the visual illusion of an apparently infinite surface. Critics have emphasised that the smell of oil is integral to the work’s psychological impact, reinforcing sensations of immersion, danger and disorientation.
Self-Portrait in Scent, Sketch no. 1 was a 1994 exhibit by Clara Ursitti at The Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, Scotland. It consisted of a small, specially constructed room outfitted with motion sensors and scent dispensers. Art historian Caro Verbeek, of the Vrije Universiteit and the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, cites this work as a breakthrough in both artistic and technological terms.
Nancy Rubins’ Mattresses and Cakes (1995) exemplifies olfactory art that engages both the senses and social critique. The work is composed of 59 salvaged mattresses bound together and layered with 299 Entenmann’s cakes, producing a large suspended sculpture whose sweet, decaying odours fill the exhibition space. The combination of salvaged materials and food emphasises excess and consumer culture, creating an experience that is simultaneously humorous, overwhelming, and uncomfortable. Rubins’ use of smell as a material component highlights its role in shaping audience perception and meaning.
Mona Hatoum’s installation Present Tense (1996) demonstrates the use of smell as a vehicle for cultural memory and political meaning. The work consists of olive oil soap blocks from Nablus embedded with red glass beads outlining fragmented Palestinian territories defined by the Oslo Accords. The scent of the soap has been noted as a key element of the installation, evoking domestic space, regional tradition and a sense of place while reinforcing the work’s engagement with displacement and political tension.
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