Arrangement XII: Peculiar Sweet Matter
Clémence de la Tour du Pin
(2023)
Olfactory perception is a crucial component of Clémence de La Tour du Pin's artistic practice. Building on her previous work, 'Host’ (2021), performed at Capc-musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux, La Tour du Pin was commissioned by the Blaffer Art Museum in Houston for the group exhibition 'Intimate Confession is a Project' (2023) to develop another iteration of the piece. In these works, she explored the concepts of infestation and parasitism through scents, archival material, text, and museum protocols. In 'Traces’, she presents a new work from this series, consisting of personal images and wax objects incorporating a specially produced scent. The artwork comprises two types of cast containers: one in beeswax mixed with an oily substance and pigments, and the other in black sealing wax. The odor, with sulfuric notes emanating from these objects, permeates the air, subtly embedding itself in the senses of the visitors.