Olfactory Art and the Political in an Age of Resistance by Gwennal Lynn

Olfactory Art and the Political in an Age of Resistance by Gwennal Lynn

This book claims a political value for olfactory artworks by situating them squarely in the contemporary moment of various forms of political resistance.

Each chapter presents the current research and art practices of an international group of artists and writers from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, Thailand, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The book brings together new thinking on the potential for olfactory art to critique and produce modes of engagement that challenge the still-powerful hegemonic realities of the twenty-first century, particularly the dominance of vision as opposed to other sensory modalities.

The book will be of interest to scholars working in contemporary art, art history, visual culture, olfactory studies, performance studies, and politics of activism.

Gwenn-Aël Lynn is a transdisciplinary artist who builds interactive installations that combine scents, sound, and technology to pose questions about identity, culture, and the political.

Debra Riley Parr is Associate Professor in the Art and Art History Department at Columbia College Chicago. Her current research concerns olfactory art and design in contemporary culture.