Can you bottle mystery, contain nostalgia and extract passion? This is the question that became the inspiration for the Wunderkammer exhibition.
Perfume is passage between physical and spiritual, tangible and intangible, visible and invisible.
Polina Stepanova, artist and curator of this exhibition, joined by Richie Ye as the project coordinator, built the creative collective to reimagine Aquaflor world through the lens of alchemy and contemporary art. Emerging painters, photographers and Polimoda alumni worked on unique pieces created exclusively for this event.
All the works of art presented in WUNDERKAMMER were inspired by the perfumes of the Aquaflor collection, narrating and interpreting them through painting, photography, and installations.
The dichotomy, the clash, the unison, the vessel.
Details from installation
Details from 'Private obsessions' by Yara Bazarri and Vitalia Vasilieva
What is alchemy?
A clash, a Union, a dichotomy, a transformation. Calligraphy escaping the paper, vodun nails, memories trapped in the door frames, dog who lost its nose, an unknown unfolding towards you like a scent anchoring to your soul’s deepest corners. An abstract shape bringing vivid associations.
Wunderkammer exhibition features the works of Melissa Baseman, Phoebe Evans, Georgia Forconi, Eva di Franco, Samira Koehler, Magdalena Kohlmaier, Sofia Musolas, Ana Rosemback, Julia Sette, Diana Solis, Kajsa Stenvinkel, Polina Stepanova, Jenna Tatham, Maria Bøe Tesfamichael, Vitalia Vasilieva, Bazzari Yara.
Photography details by Melissa Baseman and Ana Clara Rosemback
WUNDERKAMMER invitation design by Richie Ye
Jewelry detail from the artwork by Sofia Musolas in collaboration with Arlo Haisek
This project couldn't have been the same without our dear collaborators, and dear friends who helped us along the way.
Special thanks to CONCRēTIPO, Arlo Haisek, Artemisia Fioristi, Marco Mariani, Juan Manuel Rodriguez Del Rey, Alessandra Agnoletto.
And our communication and photography team: Julia Dzhobava, Mariia Leontieva, Madelyn Bell.
The Renaissance palace in the heart of Florence keeps the Wunderkammer open every day 10:00 - 19:00.
To visit the exhibition you can come any day without making an appointment.
Borgo Santa Croce, 6, Florence, at Aquaflor boutique.
JENNA TATHAM
Catha [detail]
The greatest challenge for theAlchemist, is the amalgamation of Fireand Water, reaching a state of unitythrough the assimilation of equal andopposite elements. “He who can burnwith water and wash with fire makes aheaven of earth and a precious earth ofheaven.”The Lunar Goddesses Catha,the ruler of the tides, finds her greateststrength in harmony with her consortSuri, who reigns over mighty volcanoes,the sun and fire. This pair of paintingsare symbolic of dynamic transformationtowards a state of perfect equilibrium,harmony, and unity beyond duality,Inspired by the perfume Aoud Oman.
POLINA STEPANOVA
Elemental memory [detail]
The first rivers clashed, plants rotand flourished, mountains felland arose. Particles that buildtheir bodies, the waters and theminerals, that were transportedinto each time more complexorganisms. Until they becamebeings, still made of sameelements.
Alchemist painting, resin basedinks, 300gr heavy grain purecotton watercolour paper cards,iron frame with double glass
SAMIRA KOEHLER
Phantasmagoria [detail]
Combating COVID while having an auto-immune disease, Ihad those dreams. Those fever dreams that were sopsychedelic and felt so extremely vivid, I would wake upand not realize I was awake. The feeling of notunderstanding if I was sleeping of not, in the real world orthe dreamworld, was something that deeply confused butalso inspired me. It made me feel as though I was trappedin a sort of dream state I could not escape. Within thedisplay, I wanted to recapture this feeling through the useof the glass, so to say, you can sort of see what is goingon through the glass yet it still traps you. The collectionplays with deception through the use of glass, antique up-cycled jewelry, as well as old coins from all over the worldwhich symbolize the different places I traveled to in mydream state. The bells symbolize the vivid sounds I onceheard in my fever dreams and the human figures representa figure that followed me through these dreams for days.
Necklace made of antique beads, glass beads, coins, bells
MARIA BØE TESTAFMIACHAEL, MAGDALENA KOHLMAIER, JULIA SETTE, KAJSA STENVINKEL
Nuits d’Orient
This piece is inspired by thescent Nuits d’Orient. With thisimage we aim to portray anadventurist, a contemporaryRobin Hood. A journey of pureescape to far-away lands,followed by mystery and charm.A moment of abstractcarefreeness.
Photography print on paper
MARIA BØE TESTAFMIACHAEL, MAGDALENA KOHLMAIER, JULIA SETTE, KAJSA STENVINKEL
Ex-stasis [detail]
This piece is inspired by thescent Ex-stasis, centred aroundthe concept of heaven, purgatoryand hell. Ex-stasis means to bestanding outside of oneself; anexperience of an inner vision ofone’s relation to the divine.Creating a balance between thedifferent states of being.
Photography print on paper
MARIA BØE TESTAFMIACHAEL, MAGDALENA KOHLMAIER, JULIA SETTE, KAJSA STENVINKEL
Brisas [detail]
Inspired by the scent Brisas, thisphotograph represents the arrivalof a new season; sparkly and floral. Placeyour ear against a seashell andlisten to the waves of the sea. Immerseyourself in nostalgia and cloudyskies.
Photography print on paper
Higos
Higos is part of a collection ofthree artworks that talk abouthome. A nostalgic lullaby madeof soil-stained socks andchildren’s laughs encapsulated inthe milk of the memory.
Installation/ material collageAntique wooden door, woodenladder, mixed media collage(glycerine, branch, tempera,cloth, fava tonka, raisin, acrylicframe), crystalized socks, soil
25cmx92cmx200cm
Special thanks to Marco Mariani
MM
Fel, MM is part of a collection ofthree artworks that talk abouthome. A story written by womenabout complicity, Yasmineinfused balconies and intimacy.
Installation/ material collageAntique wooden door, Yasmineplants, film print, woodenstructure
31cmx90cmx192cm
Special thanks to Marco Mariani
Zephir
Zephyr is part of a collection ofthree artworks that talk abouthome. A layered journey ofreconnection with a home neverfully experienced. A sour and wetconnection with South East Asia.
Installation/ material collageAntique wooden door, veil,crystalized ginger, woodendrawer (juta fabric, liner), muskand aquatic plants ecosystem
collage140cmx105cmx190cm
Special thanks to Marco Marianie Artemisia Fioristi
UNRAVEL series
I see you looking across the mirror,trying to get a glimpse.
You took the petals thinking you weregetting closer. I have been in yourplace, looking at her put jasmineflowers on the curve of her chest. Butwhite flowers in the ocean are only forthe last day of the year. I arch my neckto the window and put perfume, justlike many women did before me. In aposition of surrender, I find myself readyfor the invitation to make your scentbecome mine.
You may have the petals but do you know the secrets hidden underneath my skin?
UNRAVEL series
Melissa and Ana explore the ritualisticaspect of the perfume. There is aspiritual and intimate quality of one’sdaily beauty rituals, and sharing thatmoment with someone brings intimancyand vulnerability.. The same way onecan unravel the different scents andlayers of a fragrance, the same can bedone with a person, both in a physicaland spiritual manner. They bring forthinspiration from Brasil’s culture of havingcleansing baths that utilize differentherbs, and of ingrained culturaltraditions of honoring goddesses withflower offerings.
UNRAVEL series
The prints are enlarged 35mm filmchemically modified by the film soupprocess. The method consists ofemerging the film with differentelements of intervention, leading tounexpected results on the finilizedscans. The recipes of film soups for thisexhibition were createdbased on thecomponents of the fragrances. ThePolaroids were submerged usingAquaflor perfume.
Instalation of the postcard, booklet andposters
A sleeping dance
Much like the odyssey of a letter seekingits destined receiver, our scents embrace ina dance, diffusing across the canvas of ourskin, an intricate map of shared momentsand whispered confessions.
Similarly, the ritual of perfume applicationcan transcend us back to these escapingaromatic secrets, as each droplet acts as acarrier, much like the ink on the pages of aletter. The immersive installation calls fortwo pulse points, two bodies, to take uponthe role of sender and recipient. Theyengage in a choreography sublimed bycalligraphy and scent to allow the readingof a letter from a protective envelope.
Iron welded structure, magnets, JapaneseHatsuyuki Paper
in collaboration with
JOAQUIN MUSOLAS
The dog that lost his nose
This evocative piece encapsulates a sensorial odyssey,beckoning viewers to introspect on the therapeutic natureof scent and its mechanical power to unearth memorieslong thought lost. The deliberate isolation of the nose fromits corporeal context positions it as the focal point,prompting contemplation on its condition and use. Craftedby jewelry artist Arlo Haisek, the design not onlyaesthetically captivates but also serves as a functionalvessel for incense. The rising of smoke, a sacred ritualcommonly observed in temples, envelops the space in ameditative ambiance, leaving the past behind in thetransformative process of ashes—a poignant homage tosmells' ability to commemorate and invoke memories andtranquility.
Structure made of iron (120cm tall, 60cm wide), pigmentedthin soil, bronze piece of jewelry, bronze candle holderbowselia sacra, rotating mechanisms
DeMemoria
This artwork speaks about the nostalgia and melancholy that Florence inspires in its habitants. Inspired by the perfume Brisas, this painting alludes to to the layers/centuries of memories and accumulated stories that the Arno and the skies of Florence bring and transmute to us, portrayed through a girl lost in memory.
Private Obsession, Poems of chiodi fissi
The table showcases the process of alchemythat represents the death of the originalsubstance, the matter is being destroyed inorder to come back to its primordial state;Alchemy proceeds by separations andreunifications and sometimes this processleads to instinctively try to pin things down, inorder to feel safer, going against the naturalflow and evolution of all things.
OSB panel, metal screws of 8 different sizes,enamel, white wood primer, bee's waxcandles
Special thanks to Juan Manuel Rodriguez DelRay, Alessandra Angoletto, Mauro Agnoletto
Private Obsession, Rubedo
The video portrays the alchemist,responsible of creating Aquaflor'sperfumes and mysteries, as asubject of study. How manysecrets can be kept in a bottleand how much does theperfumer knows about theperson who's wearing hiscreations?
3 altars or cages of differentdimensions, Threads,Ropes
Special thanks to Juan ManuelRodriguez Del Ray, AlessandraAngoletto, Mauro Agnoletto
Live performance by CLOTILDE DE ROCCO as the muse of as tragedy, directed by PHOEBE EVANS