Perfume, Sculpture of the Invisible
Perfume, Sculpture of the Invisible — Palais de Tokyo
“Expanded Drops” series was presented during the “Parfum, Sculpture de l’invisible” exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
From October 29 to November 23, 2025, the Palais de Tokyo hosted an immersive exhibition celebrating 30 years of artistic collaboration by Francis Kurkdjian. As a renowned perfumer and creator of olfactory installations, he has long crafted fragrances that blur the boundaries between scent and art. Throughout his career, he collaborated with artists who brought an unexpected sensory dimension to their work.
The “Parfum, Sculpture de l’invisible” exhibition features works by Sophie Calle, Anne-Sophie Pic, Cyril Teste and others — a timeless journey through contemporary art, light, music, and emotion.
The “Expanded Drops” series is a selection of original photographic prints created through chemical reactions between perfume and photographic paper. A few drops of perfume are placed on silver-coated paper, left to dry, exposed to light, and processed in photo-development baths to reveal the final image.
The photographic prints, accompanied by olfactory devices, invite viewers to discover the fragrance by moving closer to the work. This multisensory approach creates an intimate dialogue between image and scent, enriching the viewer’s experience and deepening their connection to the piece.
Bringing a fragrance to life through this photographic process becomes an evocative and vibrant experience — a way of allowing scent to unfold in images.
Expanded Drops:
— Exhibited at Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2025
— Awarded “Future of Beauty” by Elle USA, 2019
— Exhibited at “Sillages”, Pasquart Museum, Biel, 2019
— Exhibited at Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Miami 2019
— Exhibited at Neiman Marcus, New York, 2019
— Exhibited at Neiman Marcus, Dallas, 2019
— Exhibited at Neiman Marcus, Houston, 2019
— Exhibited at “Il Profumo è in Mostra”, National Museum of Rome, 2018