Medusa in the Dark, July Events, Smelly Museums
+ DEXTER'S SCENT
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Hi friends, it’s Nadia! It’s been awhile and I have missed you all. Today’s newsletter covers upcoming July events, including a olfactory exhibit based on Medusa, & a very important question about what Dexter Morgan would smell like 💌
🩸 SOTD: I have a decant of Inexcusable Evil by Toskovat today ready for the Dexter: Resurrection premiere tonight. It has notes of gunpowder, blood, iodine, copaiba balm, guaiac wood, concrete, rain, and incense. As a loooong-time Dexter fan, I’ve been spiraling over one very important question: What would Dexter smell like? By day, I picture something clean and calculated. Citrus, neroli, maybe even a sterile aquatic to match the whole “I’m just an unthreatening blood splatter analyst and I bring donuts on Fridays” vibe. At night maybe something darker. Smoky. Incense. Metallic? Or maybe no scent at all—because why leave a trace? Did Dexter even think about perfume? Huh. That might be the most disturbing part of all.
THIS WEEKEND! (SATURDAY & SUNDAY)
Rise of Medusa Opening Reception (7/12)
The Rise of Medusa at Olfactory Art Keller is a scent- and sound-filled plunge into myth, rage, and ecological grief. Artist Goldie Poblador reimagines Medusa not as monster, but as a symbol of female resilience rising from the wreckage of the 2023 oil spill in the Verde Island Passage. Visitors explore the darkened space with flashlights, activating glowing sculptures inspired by rare coral manuscripts. Perfumer created three custom scents, Oil Slick, Dead Coral, and Verde— that accompany three sound sculptures by sound artist and composer Ben Richter. (ON VIEW THROUGH 8/2)Stele is having a fun summer event with music, spirits, & gifts (7/12)
Incense making Workshop (7/12)
Hydrosol Tasting Workshop (7/12)
MINYZZZ x MUMU BATH Pop-Up (7/12)
Sol de Janeiro: Badaladô Bloco Party (7/12-7/13)
Natura Mobile Pop-Up (7/11-7/13)
Brooklyn Perfume Swap & Sell (7/13)
Hungry Minds Bookshop Pop-up in Soho (until 7/27)
Glass Candies Ice Cream Floats x Fragrance collab at Lazy Sundaes (through 8/31)
UPCOMING! (SCENT & MORE)
Fragrance Futures Salon (Online, 7/15)
Summer soirée with non-alcoholic brand Norïe: fermented flower sips, and botanicals (7/15)
Tilted Chair, Perfume & Art Exhibition: A full-day sensory showcase where fragrance meets visual art (7/17)
New York Adventure Club explores M&S Schmalberg, NYC's Last Custom Fabric Flower Factory (7/17)
Ayurvedic Skincare Workshop at The Alchemist’s Kitchen (7/25)
Herbal Smoke Blend Workshop (7/26)
Citrus Nose Training (ONLINE 7/26)
ARTE MUSEUM has landed in NYC—and it’s a full-body sensory trip. (PRESALE) This multi-sensory art experience is opening its second location in the U.S., at Chelsea Piers in NYC. The experience includes immersive digital landscapes where light, scent, and sound collide, featuring custom fragrances by Marianne Nawrocki Sabatier and soundscapes by Young-gyu Jang.
IAO (CA), IN-PERSON & ONLINE:
Industrial: Perfume Accords (ONLINE 7/24)
IAO Library: The Poetry of Scent (IN PERSON 7/24)
Meet a Nose: Ernesto Collado, Brava Nariz (ONLINE 7/29)
Perfumeverse got a shout out in this article about perfume swaps 🥲 (should we host our own?!)
Avestan’s new boutique on Elizabeth Street is now fully open—and it’s a masterclass in crafting calm within the chaos of NYC. minimal and meditative, it’s worth a slow visit.
Amouage’s Petite Soho Boutique will be fully open by Fall 2025 👀
I was recently followed by an “AI perfume influencer” on Instagram dubbed its_irislane, brought to you by Slate Brands (same team behind Tracy Anderson’s fragrance and Brooke Devard’s Naked Beauty scent). And I just have one question: WHY? Who asked for this?? Does she even have a nose?!
READ: A sharp deep-dive by Arabelle Sicardi on how AI is infiltrating fragrance— plus an ongoing critique by perfumer M. Dougherty. From deepfakes on TikTok to AI-generated artwork and marketing copy, the conversation around AI has been steadily building in indie and niche scent circles. Brands like Generation by Osmo, backed by Google, are pushing AI-led fragrance creation — but many in the community are pushing back. As perfumer Michael Nordstrand puts it: if we don’t interrogate this now, we risk losing control of what scent creation means altogether. If you’re curious to form your own opinion, you can listen further on Smell Ya Later’s chat with Osmo’s Master perfumer Christopher Laudamiel.
In big beauty news, Ulta Beauty acquires SPACE NK.
What does the Glossier x Magnolia Bakery banana pudding Balm Dotcom smell like?
I might not wear crocs, but I might have to get this Touchland x Crocs collab.
In The New Yorker, Margaret Talbot profiles scent artist Tasha Marks, who collaborates with museums to reimagine history through smell. From medieval dry shampoo and musky-heavy breath fresheners at the British Library to even a “stinke” inspired by the Devil himself and Versailles masquerades, Marks blends historical research with olfactory artistry to create immersive, emotional experiences. Her work—part science, part storytelling—reminds us how powerfully scent can resurrect memory, spark connection, and challenge traditional museum exhibitions. A great read on how smell is slowly becoming a new frontier in museum curation and how Marks is leadng it with a touch of theatrical flair. (READ MORE)
That’s all for today, friends! Have a lovely, smelly weekend!
x
Nadia
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