Happy Accidents
by Joe Merrell
at IAO Gallery
November 14, 2025 – January 10, 2026
Drawing inspiration from Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s rococo-era painting, Les Hasards heureux de l’escarpolette (‘The Happy Accidents of the Swing’ or, simply, ‘The Swing’), the work in Joe Merrell’s IAO exhibition includes textile, print, collage, and a 3d-printed wall hanging. In addition to the visual art created for the show, Merrell is launching two new limited-edition fragrances.
Artist talk
January 10, 6pm – 7pm
Joe Merrell is joined by IAO’s Saskia Wilson-Brown in a conversation exploring important themes in the exhibition, scent creation, and more.
+ RSVP here
Artist Statement:
My thoughts on ‘The Swing’ are perhaps somewhat idiosyncratic and my response to it is more emotional than intellectual.
I’ve always been drawn to this painting as a stunningly beautiful composition — it’s the sort of thing I can just stare at. The 3d-printed hanging that is the central piece in my IAO show as well as the design of the packaging of the namesake fragrance are inspired by it in a direct visual sense.
But put into historical context, the image of the opulently-dressed aristocratic woman on the swing, her lover on the ground gazing longingly up at her (and up her dress), gains a darker resonance (and this tension is where the interest lies in making the work for this show). It’s difficult for me to look at this painting without thinking about the social upheaval facing the French aristocracy later in this period. Fragonard himself left Paris after losing all of his patrons to the revolution.
Works on View:
It’s not an uprising…
Collage, 2025
The Dress
3d-printed wall hanging, 2025
Untitled
Custom fabricated velvet cushion, satin fabric, 2025
Putto
Print detail from Jean Daullé’s etching (1755 – public domain), frosted acrylic, 2025
Le Hasard Heureux
Eau de parfum, 2025
The Rope
Eau de parfum, 2025
ABOUT JOE MERRELL
Los Angeles-based artist Joe Merrell studied philosophy, literature, and history and The Evergreen State College, in Olympia, WA. He went on to earn an MFA in film at CalArts in Valencia, California. Based in Los Angeles, he makes video, installation, print, sculpture and scent for exhibition in galleries, festivals and museums. In addition, he has a line of fine fragrances sold under the brand “The Eyes Are Always There” that he sells online and in several perfume boutiques.
Website: joemerrell.com / eyesarealwaysthere.com
ABOUT IAO GALLERY
The Institute for Art and Olfaction’s gallery is devoted to exhibitions, performances, installations and other expressions that make use of or engage with the medium of scent.
Website: artandolfaction.com/exhibitions
Instagram: @artandolfaction
Contact: hello@artandolfaction.com