Lisa Rommé Shtormit. Sensory Artist | Olfactory Practice

The oldest chocolate figurine in Riga. 1894 year of creation. Laima Factory. We are looking for and finding the most unusual for you in the @curiotheque_lab project! #olfactoryart #artresearch #chocolatemuseum #arthistory #chocolate

Déjà Vu! 🌲 The festival isn’t over yet! Or rather, the @scentartfestival has officially wrapped up, but the exhibition has been extended. You can still find us at the same location: @veldze.radosarupnica (Matīsa 8, inside the yard ). Come by to explore the works of the festival participants and experience the scents. The lineup has evolved, some pieces have already flown to different parts of the world, while new ones have arrived to take their place. I’m working nearby, so if you decide to drop in, send me a message! I’d love to say hi. On the photo: my olfactory installation “Ça sent le sapin. Ver.2”. See you there! #ScentArt #OlfactoryArt #ExhibitionRiga #ContemporaryArt #scentartfestival2026

Ciao! The festival has officially come to an end! It’s been an incredible journey! Fun, intense, and deeply insightful. For those of you who’d like to get access to the lecture materials, please leave a comment below or send a DM to me or the @curiotheque_lab account. All photos and materials will be published throughout the following week! What’s next? I’m starting work on an exciting new project for Paris (remotely!), while continuing my research here in Riga. I will be in Riga for the Curiotheque Lab project until June 3rd inclusive. If you have any interesting stories to share, upcoming vernissages, or art events, don’t hesitate to reach out! Let’s keep the creative energy flowing. A huge thank you to all the festival participants! You made it unforgettable. See you next year! @scentartfestival Foto by @anna_shumanskaia #ScentArtFestival #RigaArt #MuseumResearch #CultureMovesEurope

The Anatomy of an Olfactory Bestiary 📖🐕🏛️ My upcoming lecture for the Institute for Art and Olfaction is an excavation of the “Olfactory Bestiary”, a world where the chemist’s lab was a site of ethical and physical transgression. @artandolfaction The core of this research stems from primary sources, specifically Pierre Pomet’s “Histoire générale des drogues”. In these archives, the “material” wasn’t just a plant or a resin; it was a living (or once living) entity. Pomet’s taxonomy reveals a staggering array of substances that modern science has neatly tucked away in the shadows of “superstition” or “cruelty”. In the lecture, I delineate eight distinct categories of materia medica that shaped the early modern world: Canine Distillations: The literal transformation of animal tissue into therapeutic balms (e.g., Baume de Chien). Human Derivatives: The use of the human cranium (Spiritus Cerebri Humani) as a bridge between medicine and the soul. Mythical Commodification: The “Alicorn” (narwhal tusks) as a shield against poison. Fungal & Mould Alchemy: Harnessing decay for healing. And 4 more categories. This isn’t just history; it’s an “archaeology of scent.” Using the Curiothèque Lab @curiotheque_lab methodology, we treat these ancient recipes as living olfactory texts. By reclaiming these “Raw Raw Materials,” we understand the apothecary not just as a shop, but as a precursor to the modern perfumer, a daring experimentalist operating at the thin line between foul poison and sacred cure. Every molecule tells a story of a larger cosmic puzzle and superstitions of the epoch. 📍 Join the summit to dive deep into the archives: Link in Bio / /projects/ess/ #CuriothequeLab #OlfactoryResearch #ArtAndOlfaction #ScentArchaeology

The Scent Art Festival is in full swing! The program is incredibly rich, diverse, and truly captivating. It’s been fascinating to explore such a wide range of media, creative approaches, and innovative scent technologies. Peeking into the unique worlds of fellow artists is always the most inspiring part of these events. If you’re feeling a bit «in the fog» like I am from the whirlwind of meetings and new connections, let’s stay in touch! Leave a comment below if you’d like to: Collaborate on future projects Grab a coffee and talk shop Or simply find each other during the festival. I’m balancing my time between the festival and various research locations for my museum project, so I’m not here 24/7. Let’s plan our meetings in advance! I will definitely be there for the Closing Ceremony. On other days, I’ll be attending lectures and talks just like the rest of you, so let’s catch up during the breaks! 🗓️ Can’t wait to connect! #ScentArtFestival #RigaArt #CreativeProcess #ArtCollaboration #scentartist

Lecture: How to Distill a Dog 🐕🧪 The Olfactory Bestiary of Raw Raw Materials in the Early Modern Apothecary. I am thrilled to announce my participation in The 7th Experimental Scent Summit on June 9, 2026, in Athens by the Institute for Art and Olfaction @artandolfaction This lecture is a direct result of my ongoing research and the olfactory project Baume de Chien. We are diving into the dark, visceral roots of olfactory science, a time before synthetic pharmacology, when the apothecary was a site of radical biological transmutation. What are «Raw Raw Materials»? I introduce this concept to describe substances that are both biologically unrefined (materia prima) and ethically transgressive. While modern perfumery often seeks sterile pleasure, the early modern practitioner was a daring experimentalist operating between somatic healing and the metaphysical soul. Drawing from the Curiothèque LAB @curiotheque_lab methodology, I deconstructed the «pharmaceutical bestiary» of the 17th and 18th centuries. By revisiting these recipes as living olfactory texts, we reveal how early chemists used scent as a shield, a tool for immortality, and a medium for alchemical transformation. Join me in this «archaeology of scent,» where every molecule was a piece of a cosmic puzzle and the line between a foul poison and a sacred cure was thin. 📅 Check the details and full summit program here: /projects/ess/ #ArtAndOlfaction #OlfactoryHistory #olfactoryart #ScentArt #parfume

Invisible Labour is a Women’s labour. Behind the clinical walls of modern medicine lies a forgotten history of healing. Long before standardization, it was the hands of women, nuns and local herbalists that gathered, brewed, and cared. Beaume de Chien is an olfactory installation created to make this invisible labor visible. Using aroma as a medium to explore monastic medicine and early apothecaries, where ritual, alchemy, and science were one. A meeting point between French monastic history and Baltic herbal traditions. In collaboration with a local Latvian herbalist, we’ve sourced oregano, thyme, marsh mint, and St. John’s wort, plants that have healed bodies in this city for centuries. The contributions of these women often vanished from official records, hidden by history or erased by persecution. Through this “archaeology of scent,” i reclaim their knowledge. In the world of Curiothèque LAB, scent is not just a fragrance, it is a tool for justice and a living archive of care. @curiotheque_lab Foto by @maugliparis Present in @farm_muz.riga #WomensHistory #OlfactoryArt #HealingTraditions #RigaArt #scentartfestival2026

Ce n’est pas un savon. How do you reconstruct a biological taboo? Drawing on René Magritte’s philosophical premise in Ceci n’est pas une pipe, this installation emphasizes that representation is never reality. What we see and what we smell is never fully what it is. In «Ce n’est pas un savon,» the true horror lies not in a repulsive odor, but in its opposite: the comforting, ordinary scent of a mid-20th-century household. Instead of reconstructing the scent of biological matter, I chose a strategy of olfactory camouflage. I used a composition that mimics the standard soap of the WWII era: Benzaldehyde (Almond), which was used in the manufacturing process to mask the ‘fleshy’ odour of the raw materials in the soap. Perception is shaped by context. When you smell this «soap,» your brain signals «cleanliness,» «home,» and «safety.» But once you learn the historical weight it bears, the de-humanization of the «Other» and the industrial use of human remains, the almond scent becomes terrifying. I position myself as both creator and provocateur, transforming a seemingly ordinary object into a site for contemplating the boundaries between appearance and essence. We are forced to ask: can an object ever be «clean» if its history is stained? Will present at The Pharmacy Museum (Farmācijas muzejs) in Riga in May 2026. @scentartfestival @farm_muz.riga #Magritte #OlfactoryArt #SocialHistory #culturmoveseurope #scentartfestival2026

The Scent Art Festival in Riga invites you to an extensive cultural program from May 6th to 10th! We are meeting at @veldze.radosarupnica 📍 Address: Matīsa iela 8, Riga. The program is packed: an art exhibitions, workshops, lectures, DJ sets, unique performances, panel discussions, and a gathering spot for everyone in love with scents and art! With a large number of participants and an intense schedule, there’s something for everyone. Admission is free. ⚠️ Please note: some events may require pre-registration due to limited group sizes. Where to find me during the festival: 🗓️ May 6th (Opening Day): Let’s meet, introduce ourselves, and connect! 🖼️ May 7th–10th (Exhibition): “Looking Through the Fog of Uncertainty,” curated by Sandris Mūriņš @sandrismurins 💬 May 7th, 10:00 – 11:00: Join me for a consultation session. 🎤 May 7th, 18:00 – 19:00 (Lecture): “What Does Art Smell Like?” 📍 Parallel Program: Two of my olfactory works can also be viewed at the Pharmacy Museum in Riga (Riharda Vāgnera iela 13). Open 10:00 – 18:00 (closed Monday & Sunday) @farm_muz.riga See you at the festival! See you in Riga! @scentartfestival Foto by @maugliparis #ScentArtFestival #RigaEvents #ScentArt #culturemoveseurope olfactoryar

What does human fat smell like? Have you ever wondered? In my work, I often explore the «magnetism of the uncanny», the tension where meaning and form clash. I created an object that acts like a visual magnet: it draws you in with its pristine, ivory-white surface, only to repel you with the truth of its scent. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary retro bar of soap, a universal symbol of purity and washing away “sins”. But the name «Ce n’est pas un savon» (This is not soap) warns us: what you see is an illusion. This project is a reflection on the darkest chapter of the 20th century: the de-humanization of the «Other.» It explores the terrifying reality of human remains being turned into industrial products and the ultimate erasure of identity. In 2006, an official investigation confirmed that during WWII, at the Anatomical Institute near Gdańsk, fat from human cadavers was indeed used to produce soap. This fact serves as the grim foundation of my research. By presenting a cold, aesthetic object devoid of any overpowering biological scent, I force the viewer to confront the boundary between attraction and repulsion. It is a sensory monument to memory and silence. Through this «soap,» we don’t wash away history; we are forced to smell its weight. Originally created for the exhibition «Tails of Xenophobia» for the Torah and Art Foundation & Sarah Vinitz Foundation (Paris, 2024). @sarahvinitz Will present at The Pharmacy Museum (Farmācijas muzejs) in Riga. @farm_muz.riga @culturemoveseurope #OlfactoryArt #SocialArt #ConceptualArt #Memory #ParisArt

A Collaboration with the Museum: The Story of an Apothecary Jar 🏺✨ In May 2026, I will be presenting two olfactory projects at The Pharmacy Museum (Farmācijas muzejs) in Riga. One is already known to many, while the other is brand new and literally “cooking” at extreme temperatures in a kiln right now. Let me introduce the concept of “Beaume de Chien.” It all started with a discovery in a former monastics hospital in France (Musée du Trésor de l’Hôtel-Dieu). I found a rare apothecary jar inscribed: “Baume de Chien.” 🐕🧪 The historical recipe? A medicinal balm intended to treat joint pain. To be precise, as the name suggests, the 17th-century formula called for two puppies combined with medicinal herbs. Today, this sounds disturbing. However, back then, therapeutic value was driven by symbolic logic and sensory efficacy rather than modern ethics. As Michel Foucault noted, early medical knowledge was embedded in embodied experience. Beaume de Chien is NOT a literal reconstruction. It is an olfactory interpretation of archival knowledge. No animals were harmed; only the scent of history remains. I strictly followed the 17th-century botanical pharmacopoeia, infusing and brewing original medicinal herbs and maturing them in total darkness. The project will have its premiere in Riga for @scentartfestival 6-10 of May. @farm_muz.riga The image shown is an AI generation based on my original sketch. This project was awarded a mobility grant from Culture Moves Europe (2025-2026), supported by the European Union and the Goethe-Institut. 🇪🇺🏛️ #ArchiveResearch #culturemoveseurope #MedicalCuriosities #HistoryOfMedicine #olfactoryart

A dream turned into a project. ✨ Curiothèque LAB is finally here. What started as a lifelong fascination with proto-museums and alchemy became a reality in 2025, and is now coming to life in 2026. Today, I’m proud recipient of a Culture Moves Europe grant (supported by the European Union and the Goethe-Institut). @culturemoveseurope After more than three decades in the art world, I’ve learned that the most profound projects happen at the intersection of disciplines. Curiothèque LAB is exactly that. It is a culmination of my experience as a researcher, theorist, and olfactory artist. Here, my skills in working with art documents and my long-standing track record in creative production come together to launch something truly unique. Curiothèque LAB is the culmination of my obsession with “cabinets of curiosities,” rare collections, alchemical labs, and odd phenomena. It’s a multidisciplinary research project merging art, history, and olfaction. What’s coming: A unique book with a custom olfactory composition. Archival research and deep-dive texts. The world’s first comprehensive database of curiosities. Huge thanks to my team! I’ll introduce everyone soon. We are starting this big chapter in Riga, Latvia, as part of the @scentartfestival , the catalyst that pushed me to apply for this grant. This is a “slow” project. No spam, no mindless reels. Just deep thinking and fascinating discoveries from verified sources. Follow @curiotheque_lab to join the journey and for a thoughtful look into the world of curiosities (information is arriving). Our website is currently in progress, too. #CultureMovesEurope #PushBoundaries #CreativeEurope #goetheinstitut #olfactoryart