Laura De Coninck

Laura de Coninck is a versatile artist who has made her mark in both the visual and the olfactory arts. Her keen sense for creative expression led her to the renowned perfume house Givaudan in Paris, where she learned alongside leading figures in the field how scent can merge with the world around us. Her art installations have also gained wide recognition: she has exhibited alongside Jan Fabre, Marina Abramović, and others. Since becoming Artist in Residence at the KMSKA, she has been passionately exploring the intersections between scent and the visual arts.

Proud Antwerp native
Multidisciplinary talent
Internationally recognized work
Tells stories through scent

At home

The KMSKA feels like our museum, a source of pride for us Antwerp locals. I was born and raised in Antwerp, and I remember very well how I went there as a child with my parents and my godmother. Those vast halls, where silence came to you naturally… The KMSKA is simply an institution. As teenagers, we used to meet on the steps, and later we took our own children there. They would play in the fountain as if it were their own backyard.

Encouragement

For me, this is about the greatest tribute you can receive as an Antwerp artist: to be supported in this way and to be allowed to contribute to the institution of art with a capital A. Being an artist is not always easy: doubts creep in at times. And in those moments this encouragement touches me deeply. I am very grateful for it. It gives me strength and confirms that there is a place for what I do: creating art and scents, and bringing the two together.

Self-evident

In my opinion the connection between art and scent speaks for itself. Think of flowers on canvas, painted with such refinement that you can almost smell their fragrance. But it becomes truly fascinating with abstract themes: how do you capture Rubens’ nudes in a scent? Or how can you add emotion and memory, allowing fragrances to tell an entire story?

The Power of Scent

At the launch of the perfume, it was especially rewarding to guide visitors along a scent route based on the themes of the accords, which they could also smell individually. A hidden world opened up for them, especially through their noses. What fascinates and inspires me most is the unique power scents have to evoke emotions and memories. Why should art be limited to the visual?

Source

I admire Berlinde De Bruyckere for the sensory intensity of her work; very inspiring to translate into a scent. I also love how artists unconsciously draw from the same source of inspiration, and how the work of others can complement and inspire you to create further, like an endless game of Scrabble.

Capturing the Invisible

Luc Tuymans’ work speaks to me, especially its layers of meaning. I share his fascination with evoking memory and trying to capture the “invisible.” It is powerful how the KMSKA places his work in dialogue with the old masters, hanging his portrait of a woman with breast cancer next to the Madonna by Fouquet.