smell of Cadaqués. Olfactory perceptions of the olorVISUAL collection

Smell of Cadaqués is a tribute on the part of the olorVISUAL collection to the evolution of this small yet indispensable artistic enclave. The smell of the title makes reference, in a synaesthetic metaphor, to the multiple possibilities of Cadaqués as an expressive catalyst, above and beyond any single determined language.

The present exhibition introduces itself two works that make clear the nature of the olorVISUAL collection: Lavender (1979), that foundational painting by Albert Ràfols-Casamada, and The Smell of Art (2010), a haunting sculpture that Eugenio Merino portrays Ernesto Ventós, the soul of the collection, as a believer in art.

Set out on the ground floor are works from the collection by artists who have a special relationship with Cadaqués, through having lived in or been inspired by the town — artists such as Joan-Josep Tharrats, Richard Hamilton, Salvador Dalí, Antonio Pitxot, Carlos Pazos, Anna Malagrida and Alfredo Jaar. The first floor presents works that engage with the relationship between form and colour, paying special attention to the dominant colours of Cadaqués, by artists such as Miquel Barceló, Perejaume, Eulàlia Valldosera, Damien Hirst and Chema Alvargonzález. On the third floor we have a figurative dialogue between humanity and nature, embodied by such major creative talents as Zhang Huan, Daniel & Geo Fuchs, Douglas Gordon, Gino Rubert and Guillermo Pérez Villalta.

On each floor, an integral part of the tribute, the essences created especially for this exhibition interact with the viewer and the artworks.
Ricard Mas
Curator of the exhibition