Odour

The artists

• Sissel Tolaas
  

  Wolfgang Lackner

  fART_23, 2023

  *1961 in Stavanger, Norway, lives and works in Berlin

  Since the 1990s, Sissel Tolaas has been creating a scent archive containing over 8,000 odours. The artist is considered a pioneer in the field of olfactory art and is involved in research into odours in the fields of science and art. She works together with research institutions, companies and brands. In addition to the smell of objects, the artist also records body odours - both her own and the smell of stress hormones. In her research-based art, Sissel Tolaas explores the questions of how we can communicate through smell, what information odour molecules communicate to our bodies through inhalation or how the invisible such as smell, air and breath can be captured. With her work "fART_23", developed especially for Innsbruck, the artist alludes to various virulent themes from art and medicine. At the Ferdinandeum ticket desk, interested visitors are offered a drink that turns them into olfactory producers during their visit to the museum. With this cocktail of organic products, Tolaas playfully emphasises the importance of the intestinal tract and invites visitors to participate in the museum context. The intestines can be vented in the first room of the exhibition tour. The intestinal winds are collected there in a special seating area.

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  Since the 1990s, Sissel Tolaas has been compiling a scent archive comprising over 8,000 odours. The artist is recognised as a pioneer in the field of olfactory art and focuses on the study of smells in both science and art. She collaborates with research institutions, businesses and brands. In addition to the smell of objects, the artist also captures body odours - including her own and the odor of stress hormones. In her research-based art, Sissel Tolaas addresses the questions of how we communicate through smell, which information smell molecules convey to our bodies when we inhale them and how we can capture invisible phenomena like smells, air and breath. With her work "fART_23", specially developed for Innsbruck, the artist alludes to various virulent themes from art and medicine. At the ticket desk of the Ferdinandeum, the interested visitor is offered a drink, which allows the person to become an olfactory producer during the further visit to the museum. With this cocktail of organic products, Tolaas refers in a playful way to the importance of the intestinal tract and thus invites the visitor to participate in the museum context, which is much invoked. The intestine can be deflated in the first room of the exhibition tour. The intestinal winds are collected there in a special seat.

• Carsten Höller
  

  Wolfgang Lackner

  Smell of My Mother, 2017

  Smell of My Father, 2017

  *1961 (Brussels), lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden and Biriwa, Ghana

  Carsten Höller's works demand the direct or indirect participation of museum and exhibition visitors. Through unusual and irritating physical experiences, he aims to question common visual patterns of perception. For his art, for example, he conducts experiments on human perception, focussing among other things on the basis of human and animal relationships. His scientific background as a habilitated biologist helps him in this endeavour. As the title suggests, the two works "Smell of My Father / Smell of My Mother" reflect the smell of the artist's parents. This was artificially recreated using items of clothing from the respective parents - a cap in the case of the father and a scarf in the case of the mother. Here, the artist plays with the influence of odours on the perception and emotions of us viewers of other people's personal and intimate memories. The installation and the smell in the room are created in the awareness that the odour is naturally also placed on the visitors' clothing and is also carried out of the museum by them.

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  Carsten Höller's works demand direct or indirect involvement of museum and exhibition visitors. Via unfamiliar or unsettling physical experiences, he aims to challenge established patterns of visual perception. His academic background as a biology professor plays a major role in his art: for example, he conducts experiments on human perception, focusing, among other things, on the foundations of human and animal relationships. As their titles suggest, his two works "Smell of My Father / Smell of My Mother" represent the smell of the artist's parents. These smells were artificially recreated using an item of clothing of the respective parent: for his father, a cap; for his mother, a scarf. In this piece, the artist is playing with what influence smells from someone else's personal and intimate memories have on the gallery visitors' perceptions and emotions. The installation and the smells in the room are designed with an awareness that the odour will of course also settle on the visitors' clothes and will then be carried out of the museum by them.

• Luca Vitone
  

  Wolfgang Lackner

  A tale of forked tongues, 2018-2022

  *1964 in Genoa, Italy, lives and works in Milan and Berlin

  In his olfactory works, Luca Vitone uses various scents to describe abstract issues such as power. They are often created in collaboration with perfumer Maria Candida Gentile, such as "A tale of forked tongues", which was created for "Odor". The work resembles a paradox: she wants to create an odour of smallpox viruses that are actually odourless. By seemingly reproducing the odour of an invisible, destructive and deadly substance that surrounds us, a sense of impending danger is created. The project alludes to a specific event in 1763 of bacteriological warfare in the modern era: The British army, under the leadership of Jeffrey Amherst, issued blankets to groups of Native Americans. However, these blankets were actually infected with the smallpox virus and turned out to be a biological weapon. A large proportion of the population, especially the elderly, women and children, died from the virus to which they were not immune. To combat smallpox, Bavaria introduced compulsory vaccination in 1807. For the anti-vaccination activist Andreas Hofer, this was blasphemy. The dispute over vaccination led, among other things, to the famous four battles at Bergisel. Vitone's work attempts to make the omnipresence of a deadly virus in space tangible by means of scent, and can be seen in the Ferdinandeum in the immediate vicinity of a historical depiction by Albin Egger-Lienz on the peasant uprising.

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  In his olfactory works, Luca Vitone uses different scents to capture abstract concepts such as power. They are often made in collaboration with the perfumer Maria Candida Gentile, including "A tale of forked tongues" which has been created for "Odor". The work presents a paradox by seeking to bestow a smell on the smallpox virus which is actually odourless. A sense of impending danger is created by the apparent replication of the smell of an invisible, destructive and deadly substance that is surrounding us. The work alludes to a specific event of modern-day bacteriological warfare carried out in 1763 when the British army led by Jeffrey Amherst handed out blankets to groups of Native Americans. These blankets were infected with the smallpox virus and turned out to be a biological weapon. A large part of the Native American population, especially the elderly, women and children, died from this virus against which they had no immunity. To combat smallpox, Bavaria introduced compulsory vaccination in 1807. For the anti-vaxxer Andreas Hofer, this was blasphemy. The dispute over vaccination besides others led to the famous four Battles of Bergisel. Vitone's work seeks to make the omnipresence of a deadly virus tangible by means of scent and can be experienced in the Ferdinandeum in the immediate vicinity of a painting by Albin Egger-Lienz of the Tyrolean peasants' revolt.

• Teresa Margolles
  

  © Wolfgang Lackner

  Periferia de la agonía (Periphery of agony), 2003

  *1963 in Culiacán, Mexico, lives and works in Mexico City and Madrid, Spain

  Teresa Margolles addresses aspects of corruption, social injustice, gender discrimination and trauma in her work. In particular, she draws attention to the atrocities of the Mexican drug war and the violence along the US-Mexican border. With the material traces left behind by these acts of violence, she thematises death - especially in the form of murder. Margolle's oeuvre is wide-ranging and includes photographs, videos, sculptures, performances, paintings and installations. "Periferia de la agonía" (Periphery of agony) consists of a 25 metre long (and 2.5 metre wide) cloth folded up to one square metre. The cloth originally covered the bodies of murder victims. On its pedestal, it resembles a monument that documents the 'life of the corpses', i.e. what happens to the body after death, particularly in terms of olfactory impressions. Through the viewer's imagination, past lives are brought before their eyes - in this case those of silenced, anonymous migrants who will only enter the public statistics as 'collateral damage'.

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  In her work, Teresa Margolles addresses aspects of corruption, social injustices, gender discrimination and trauma, focusing in particular on the atrocities of the Mexican drug war and the acts of violence being perpetrated along the US-Mexican border. Working with the physical traces left behind by such acts, she confronts the subject of death - specifically in the form of murder. Margolles' oeuvre is diverse and includes photography, video, sculpture, performance, painting and installation. "Periferia de la agonia" (Periphery of agony) comprises a 25 metre by 2.5 metre cloth folded up into one square metre. The cloth originally covered the bodies of murder victims. Placed on a pedestal, it resembles a memorial which documents the 'life of the corpses', i.e. what happens to the body after death - especially in terms of the olfactory imprint. The viewer's imagination conjures up lives that no longer exist - in this work, those of the silenced, anonymous migrants who will only be recorded in public statistics as 'collateral damage'.

• Koo Jeong A
  

  Wolfgang Lackner

  Pullover' Wardrobe, 1995

  *1967 in Seoul, South Korea, lives and works everywhere

  Since the early 1990s, Koo Jeong A has created drawings, sculptures and environments that appear everyday and random, but are at the same time very deliberate. She is interested in a wide range of themes such as human perception, sensory experiences, natural phenomena and interaction with natural elements. Many of her works are created for specific locations and scrutinise the relationship between imagination and reality. To this end, the artist uses objects, moving and still images, sound and aromas. In 2011, together with perfumer Bruno Jovanovich, she developed "Before the rain", a fragrance reminiscent of the humid air before it rains. In 2016, the installation "Odorama" created an interplay of scents and light that resonated with the underground as a place of movement and physical encounters on a disused platform on London's Jubilee Line. "Pullover' Wardrobe" exemplifies her early interest in ephemeral, olfactory works and seemingly insignificant everyday objects. Like a large wardrobe, the empty space is filled with the scent of many mothballs, which remain invisible to visitors.

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  Since the early 1990s, Koo Jeong A has been creating drawings, sculptures and environments that appear mundane and random and yet are actually highly deliberate. She is interested in a wide range of topics including human perception, sensory experiences, natural phenomena and our interaction with natural elements. Many of her works are site-specific and question the relationship between imagination and reality. The artist uses objects, moving and still images, sounds and smells to achieve her aims. In 2011, she collaborated with perfumer Bruno Jovanovich to develop "Before the Rain", a scent intended to recall the humid air before a rainstorm. In 2016, her installation "Odorama" on a disused platform of the Jubilee Line created an interplay between smells and light that resonated with the London Underground as a place of movement and physical encounters. "Pullover' Wardrobe" exemplifies her early interest in ephemeral, olfactory works and apparently insignificant everyday objects. Like a large wardrobe, the empty space is filled with the scent of many mothballs which, however, remain invisible to the exhibition visitors.

• Jason Dodge
  

  © Wolfgang Lackner

  The living

  *1969, in Newton, Pennsylvania, USA, lives and works in Møn, Denmark

  Jason Dodge's works stand out because they often appear incomplete and vague. He integrates and combines everyday objects into his sculptures and installations in order to unfold their narrative potential. Their titles give them a deeper, poetic dimension and frame our experience. The supposed remnants, the objects left lying around, are fragments of a narrative and give rise to chains of associations. At the same time, these fragments question the idea of the perfect work of art. The work "The living" supposedly shows nothing but traces of dirt and a hint of animal odour. Without an audience, the artist brought animals from the region into the two museum rooms to let them linger there for a few hours. As visitors, we experience the rooms as they were left by the animals and we begin to decipher what actually happened: Which animals were here and what were they doing? What traces did they leave behind? And what scent remains in the air? The sculpture emerges as an idea in the minds of the visitors and connects in its immateriality.

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  A conspicuous feature of Jason Dodge's work is that it often appears incomplete and undefined. He integrates and combines everyday objects in his sculptures and installations in order to develop their narrative potential. The titles of his works give them a deeper, poetic dimension and frame our experience of them. The supposed leftovers, the discarded objects, are fragments of a story and create chains of associations. At the same time, these fragments question the notion of the perfect work of art. His installation "The living" appears to consist of nothing more than traces of dirt and a hint of animal smell. Unobserved by an audience, the artist led animals from the region into these rooms and allowed them to linger there for a few hours. As visitors, we experience the rooms as they have been left by the animals and can begin to decipher what actually happened in them: which animals were present and what were they doing? What traces did they leave behind? And what scent remains in the air? The sculpture arises as an idea in the mind of the visitor and is composed by its intangibility.

• Pamela Rosenkranz
  

  Wolfgang Lackner

  House of Meme (Smell of Fire), 2021

  *1979 in Altdorf, Uri, Switzerland, lives and works in Zurich

  The works of conceptual artist Pamela Rosenkranz include video, installation, sculpture and painting, which are composed of scents, earth, light, bacteria and parasites, among other things. She investigates the biological and cultural influences on the human perception of art. She often incorporates found architecture into her works. In doing so, she tries to dissolve familiar patterns and steer the viewer away from a self-centred view of the world. The position shown here, "House of Meme (Smell of Fire)", exudes the odour of a burnt, no longer existing building. Together with the cyan blue, cool light sources ("Alien Blue Windows"), it creates an altered spatial structure: however, the origin of the fire remains unclear. Pamela Rosenkranz developed the scent of the installation in dialogue with Sissel Tolaas. She mixed the aromas of burnt wood, singed leather and burnt stone with a dark, heavy perfume. The result is a sweet, but also bitter, resinous and dull odour.

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  The work of conceptual artist Pamela Rosenkranz encompasses video, installation, sculpture and painting and consists of, among other things, odours, soil, light, bacteria and parasites. The artist examines the biological and cultural influences on the human perception of art. She often incorporates the existing architecture of the exhibition space in her work, aiming to break familiar patterns and steer the viewer away from a worldview centreed around the self. The work "House of Meme (Smell of Fire)" in the exhibition emits the smell of a burnt building that is no longer there. Combined with cool, cyan-blue light sources ("Alien Blue Windows"), the piece creates an altered spatial structure. However, the origin of the fire remains unclear. Pamela Rosenkranz developed the odor for the installation in dialogue with Sissel Tolaas. By blending the aromas of charred wood, singed leather and burnt stone with a dark, heavy perfume, she has created a sweet yet bitter, resinous and blunt smell.

• Oswaldo Maciá
  

  Wolfgang Lackner

  Composition in Three Notes / Reflections on Unconsciousness, 2022

  *1960 in Cartagena, Colombia, lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA and London, UK

  Oswaldo Maciá describes his works as sculptural compositions that are created through images, objects, sounds and, above all, smells. The artist is interested in the (post-)colonial history of smell and the migration of odours, which always goes hand in hand with the loss of knowledge. In this way, he opens up other perspectives on global changes and odours that shape culture. "Composition in Three Notes / Reflections on Unconsciousness" is based on the respective odours of the balsam tree, the guaiac tree and the green cardamom plant. The work was created in collaboration with the perfumer Ricardo Moya and the IFF as well as Elisa Aragón - Nelixia in El Salvador. The artist does not use synthetic molecules here, but raw materials that are linked to a long cultural and ritual tradition in South America. They can be read like a footprint of a specific place. Since colonisation, these fragrances have been appropriated in different ways and are linked to corruption, difficult working conditions and the perfume industry's trade and production chains. Using the natural fragrances as a base and a space modelled on the pigmented cells of an olfactory epithelium, Macia aims to create an olfactory experience that is as unfiltered and conscious as possible.

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  Oswaldo Maciá describes his works as sculptural compositions arising from images, objects, sounds and, above all, smells. The artist explores a (post)colonial history of smell, investigating the migration of smells which is always accompanied by a loss of knowledge. In doing so, he opens up different perspectives on the global changes and smells that shape cultures. "Composition in Three Notes / Reflections on Unconsciousness" is based on the scents of the Balsamo tree, Guaiacum tree and Green Cardamom plant. The work was created in collaboration with perfumer Ricardo Moya and the IFF, as well as Elisa Aragón - Nelexia in El Salvador. Rather than using synthetic molecules in the piece, the artist works with raw materials which bear a long cultural and ritual tradition in South America. These materials can be read like a footprint of a specific place. Since colonisation, the aromatic substances have been appropriated in various ways and are associated with corruption and challenging working conditions as well as with the trade and production chains of the perfume industry. Using these natural fragrances as a basis and with the help of a yellow-edged room reminiscent of the pigmented cells of an olfactory epithelium, Macia sets out to create an unfiltered and yet simultaneously conscious scent experience.

• Clara Ursitti
  

  Wolfgang Lackner

  Territory Denial, 2022

  *1968 in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland

  Since the 1990s, Clara Ursitti has been working on and with olfactory sculptures that often intervene in space. In her exploration of the process of smelling, the artist is particularly interested in the social and psychological aspects of odour. For an early work in 1994, for example, she created an olfactory self-portrait. By analysing body odours, the artist questions themes such as identity, gender, hormones and bodily secretions. She deliberately undermines cultural expectations and how we should smell, what is good and what is bad odour. In doing so, she questions the denial of natural human body odours. Her new work "Territory Denial" is also about odours that most people can find unpleasant or even repulsive. In the past and present, the exploration of odours to control unrest or restrict access has been of great interest. Governments see it as a harmless method of controlling crowd behaviour. This work is an experiment, specially composed from different odour molecules.

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  Since the 1990s, Clara Ursitti has been working with scent in public space and galleries through interventions and site-specific works. In her explorations, the artist pays particular attention to the social and psychological aspects of scent. For example, in 1994, one of her early works was the creation of an olfactory self-portrait. By analysing body odors, the artist examines topics such as identity, gender, hormones and bodily secretions. She deliberately subverts cultural expectations, such as how we should smell, as well as the definitions of what is a good or bad odour. In doing so, she analyses the masking of natural human body odors. Her new work, "Territory Denial", focuses on smells that most people might find unpleasant or even repulsive. There has been a great deal of interest by governments, both in the past and present, in the study of scent to control unrest or restrict access as a non-lethal method of crowd control. Ursitti's work is an experiment composed of various compounds.