Artist Talk: Bernardo Fleming

Artist talk with Bernardo Fleming. 'Dreaming in Smell' was on view at The Institute for Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles in November 2021. Moderated by Saskia Wilson-Brown.
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ABOUT DREAMING IN SMELL
According to a 1998 Canadian study, a minority of surveyed participants reported having aromatic sensations in their dreams. Like that small minority, Fleming often dreams in scent. Waking up in the morning, he takes care to write down his dream memories, as well as any olfactory component experienced during the dream. He then brings his notes to perfumers at IFF and together they create a perfume interpretation.
The result is a set of four fabric sprays that explore and interpret four of Fleming’s dreams, presented in a gentle installation of scented bed linens and pillows, hung on clotheslines and displayed on shelves. In order to experience the work, the visitor must navigate and physically interact with the objects, generating an intimate connection with the dreams themselves, captured - as they are - in fabric.
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ABOUT BERNARDO FLEMING
Bernardo Fleming assumed from a young age that everyone experienced scents in their dreams, like he did. As an adult, he learned that this was not the case. In fact, the condition is so rare that there has been very little research done into understanding it. With this revelation, Fleming started a careful practice of recording his scented dreams. Written in a journal kept close by his bed, he was curious to see if his ability to recall dream-time scentscapes could inform his artistic practice, as a whole.
As global director of trends and strategic foresights for International Flavors and Fragrances, Bernardo has been well placed to leverage his unusual sensitivity and curiosity for all the human senses. His enhanced receptiveness to sound, visual art, taste and smell has resulted in a life consumed with further understanding and exploring these sensorial elements.
Originally from Argentina, his business background enabled an initial move into the fragrance industry, where for more than two decades he has developed an interdisciplinary career involving scent design, creative innovation and art.
As well as collaborating with brands - from enthusiastic start-ups to international players - on commercial project briefs with IFF, he has also partnered with major cultural institutions and global creatives on groundbreaking scented experiences. This uniquely privileged positions has allowed him to work with the world’s most talented artists, leading researchers and fragrance experts, as well as providing a fertile environment from which to investigate and nurture his own, extraordinary olfactive skill of dreaming with smell.
For ‘Dreaming in Smell’, his first solo exhibition, Bernardo worked closely with IFF perfumers to reconstruct the smells of four of his dreams, using the bedside journals he diligently kept. The resulting artwork is a selection of scented pillows and sheets, that capture both the random and autobiographical nature of his remembrances.
His expertise usually sees him take a preferred, behind-the-scenes supportive role, ‘Dreaming in Smell’ is the first solo work where Bernardo is gently nudged to centre stage to pursue his exceptional gift in an artful format.