Tell someone you’re going to a fragrance exhibition, and they might think you aimlessly sniff bottles of colognes, oils, and essences in an empty gallery.
But Francis Kurkdjian, the perfumer behind fragrances for Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, and his own niche olfactory maison, doesn’t do things by half measures. His new show, “Perfume: Sculpture of the Hidden,” explores how Kirkodjian has connected his unique creations to music, theater, visual arts and even the culinary realm during his 30 years in the fragrance business.
It’s also characteristically Kirkdjian, not one to seek the spotlight. The idea originally came from her business partner, Mark Chia, CEO of Maison Francis Kirkdejian, who wanted to celebrate Khushboo’s career milestone. Kirkadjian, in his way, ended up with an exhibition that put his creative colleagues at the fore.
“I said, ‘Well, if we do an exhibition, we have to do it right.’ Rob Report. “It’s not about my work. It’s about asking someone who knows my work to do it in a very musical way.”
Left: An image of an “expanding drop” in a series of photographs by Crystal Boule. Right: A visitor experience is “V-Scent,” for which Kirkadjian created a special VR headset.
Mason Francis Kirkdjian
To this end, curator Jérôme Nutres assembled an array of high-concept projects and works that Kirkadjian has worked on over the past three decades, installing at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. These include “The Smell of Money,” a fragrance created for conceptual artist Sophie Calle in 1999, which takes its inspiration from the scent of a well-worn US dollar bill. There are also images from the “Extended Drops” series, for which photographer Christelle Bollé applied sprays of Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s fragrances to silver paper. Once dry, he bathed them in photo-developing fluids, resulting in brightly colored images full of movement. There’s even a drinkable flavored water, Ale or Blue, created with artist Ian Thomas, that you can sip.
Kirkadjian with his colleagues on “The Alchemy of the Senses”.
Mason Francis Kirkdjian
Some elements of the exhibit may even give you a sense of time travel. One of the items on display is a pair of scented leather gloves from the 18th century. There is also “In the context of the Queen”, a perfume created in 2006 by Kirkadjian, based on the formula of a perfume once Marie Antoinette.
“Versailles, for me, has been a playground of creativity, of freedom, of history,” Kirkadjian says. He attended ISIPCA, a perfume school in the French city, and also sponsored the palace’s perfume garden. “I’ve known every president of Versailles for the past 30 years.”
“A Thousand Meters,” a series of hand-painted ceramics shaped like the products of maison Francis Kirkdjian.
Mason Francis Kirkdjian
But this is not just a review of the past, or a look at the questions of Kirkadjian’s heroic side. There are also new installations, including V Scant, a virtual reality experience. To experience it, visitors to the free exhibition don a VR headset with a scent dispenser that sits over the nose.
“This is a world unveiling of a very important tool. It combines virtual reality and smell,” he says. “And to me, it’s also very important that they continue to develop and advance the fragrance in the future.”
“Alchemy of the Senses,” an immersive installation that engages all the senses, is an homage to Baccarat Rouge 540.
Mason Francis Kirkdjian
The final installation, “Alchemy of the Senses,” is designed to commemorate what is perhaps Kirkadjian’s most famous fragrance: Baccarat Rouge 540. In it, a limited-edition crystal sculpture created by Baccarat is surrounded by a light show designed to ignite his secret glass that threatens to destroy the spirit he creates. Michelin-starred chef Anne-Sophie Photo prepared a chocolate for visitors to eat during the experience. Uniting these senses is a perfect metaphor for how Kirkodjian wants visitors to perceive their surroundings.
“When people leave the exhibition, I want them to see the world with their noses, not just their eyes,” he says. And if you can catch the show before it closes on November 23, you probably can.
