US interdisciplinary artist Beatrice Glow gathered eight contributors – curators, artists, art historians and journalists – to put together this multilingual book (English, Spanish) based on two exhibitions at Chile’s Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Santiago (2016) and James B. Duke House in New York (2017). Exploring the socio-political history of plants and spices, Glow challenges a Western-centric view of colonial history by focussing on pre-colonial cultures.
Through scents, such as those of the spice trade, she tells of the violence of European colonial powers in South America. The book features essays, interviews, studio notes, olfactory descriptions, ancient maps and engravings, and illustrations of the artist’s works.
The first edition – which is now sold out – also included a limited-edition aromatic artwork, VII, created especially for the publication.
Aromérica Parfumeur – Beatrice Glow, Maria Montt Strabucchi, Robin Joyce, Kristen Gaylord, KJ Baysa, Leslie Josephs, Senaquerib Astudillo, Amanda White and Jerónimo Bouza, 2018, 140 pages, $40
Available at: beatriceglow.org/shop/.
This review has been published in Nez, the olfactory magazine – #06 – Mind and Body. This issue is available on www.nez-editions.us for North America and on the Auparfum Shop for other countries.
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