Markéta Baňková

What does the hold of a merchant ship smell like in 1621? What does the most sensual woman smell like? What do stables, X-rays and space smell like? We invite you to a sniffing exhibition by perfumer, writer and science popularizer Marketa Maf Bankova at David Černý's Musoleum, Nádražní 2, Prague, open till the end od the year. We are on a merchant ship in 1621, lost in a storm. Anchored on an unknown coast, the captain and his sailors set out to explore the land. They reach a town through the stunning landscape, but forget about the ship and the search for a port in the local taverns and brothels. A prostitute, Matilda, confuses the captain with her sensual odour, so much so that he then tries to seek divine forgiveness in a monastery. We're on a merchant ship in 1621 that got lost in a storm. Anchored off an unknown coast, the captain and his sailors set out to explore the land. Through a strange, intoxicating landscape, they reach a town at the foot of a volcano. However, in the local taverns and brothels they forget about the ship and their search for a port. A Czech prostitute, Matylda, confuses the captain with her sweet and sensual odour, so much so that he then tries to seek divine forgiveness in a monastery. The exhibition reconstructs the scented topography of the past, placing us in a world that has subtly disappeared over the last few centuries. Gone, too, are its memorials. Today we live in a different aromatic space-time. The smell of exhaust fumes and chimney smoke are part of it. The smell of plastics and industrial products suffuses domestic interiors, textiles and subsequently the skin smell of detergents. Conventional perfumes today are more like, in the words of perfumer Mandy Aftel, "cleaning products", which has changed their social meaning. The aromatic world of the past was more raw. Perfumes also served experiential, spiritual, therapeutic and religious purposes. Through the smell of soil, animals, wildlife, agriculture, clean water and air, smoke from fires, and also the organic smell of smouldering, humans became more connected to their surroundings. Smell aided survival and hunting-gathering. A trace of this meaning has remained in our language ("This doesn't smell right; he sniffs it out; he sticks his nose in everything; a whiff of opportunity; this thing stinks...") The aromatic world of the past was more raw. Perfumes also served experiential, spiritual, therapeutic and religious purposes. Through the smell of soil, animals, wildlife, agriculture, clean water and air, smoke from fires, and also the organic smell of smouldering, humans became more connected to their surroundings. Smell aided survival and hunting-gathering. A trace of this meaning has remained in our language ("This doesn't smell right; he sniffs it out; he sticks his nose in everything; a whiff of opportunity; this thing stinks...") Markéta Maf Bankova has created the smells of travelling through the world of the seventeenth century not only through the artist's eyes, but also on the basis of historical data. There is an exceptional opportunity to smell the scents using some of the perfumery essences used for centuries, which are nowhere to be smelled today. Their use is banned in European perfumery because of the threat to the rare plants from which they are derived. The author has used them exclusively for the purpose of this exhibition, the authenticity of which would otherwise be difficult to convey. Some of the aromatic artworks are for sale, with a five-year maintenance service. They are for artistic experience only and are not intended for use on the skin. Beyond that, however, four perfumes that the artist recently released as part of the launch of her niche perfume house, Space Fluid, are also for sale in the exhibition. Please note: Enter at your own risk. Smell the scents from 25 cm from the neck of the bottle. Although the substances used are exclusively perfumery, it is possible that someone may have an allergic reaction to a natural substance they have not encountered before. Neither the author nor Space Fluid are responsible for any health complications. Please use the disposable gloves provided at the show so that the fragrances in the bottles are not contaminated by the odor of visitors. Please do not exhale into the neck of the bottles for the same reason. Always close the bottle necks quickly with the caps.