Odor

Odor has an immediate effect on us. Smells awaken emotions, moods and memories. They overlay our other senses and have a greater impact on our perception than we realise. Scents at once create intimacy and distance. They inscribe themselves in our memories and consolidate our experiences. Yet their existence in space remains invisible and the act of smelling is a fleeting one.

The Odor, Immaterial Sculptures exhibition at the Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen is dedicated entirely to the power of smells. It brings together works that place odor as an experience of smell and space at the centre of experiencing art. On display are intangible sculptures, including existing works and numerous new creations developed for this special exhibition, which confront visitors with the capabilities of our sense of smell. Building on this direct experience, the artists open up personal, local and global perspectives which reference historical and current events. The individual works address, among other things, the interplay between time and space, the individual and the community, consciousness and the subconscious, visibility and invisibility, the everyday and the miraculous, self-perception and the perception of others, presence and absence, life and death.

Minimalist artistic interventions in the exhibition space allow rooms to breathe, smell and perspire. The rooms appear empty and filled at the same time. The works on display share the same air, become concentrated and dissipate. The exhibition eschews visual experiences in favour of an immersive event that can only be perceived in the here and now of visiting the gallery. At the same time, it explores the question of the interrelationship of the senses as an integral part of the artistic experience.

With contributions by Jason Dodge, Carsten Höller, Koo Jeong A, Oswaldo Maciá, Teresa Margolles, Pamela Rosenkranz, Sissel Tolaas, Clara Ursitti, Luca Vitone.

Curator: Thomas Thiel
Assistant curator: Lea März
Concept: Thomas Thiel, Florian Waldvogel

The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive program of events and mediation consisting of talks, readings, guided tours, workshops and an international symposium. The Odor Lab enables visitors to delve even deeper into the world of smell, scent and art. An exhibition brochure with an introduction and texts on the individual works will also be published. A publication with further essays and a documentation of the project is in preparation.

Odor, Immaterial Sculptures is being created in collaboration with the Tyrolean Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum and will be shown in Innsbruck in 2023 under different spatial conditions.