SECRET HISTORIES
By Christopher Brosius
Exhibition Dates: July 11 – September 5, 2025
Join us for the closing reception on Friday, September 5 from 6:00 – 8:00pm
The IAO Gallery is pleased to host SECRET HISTORIES, a solo exhibition by perfumer Christopher Brosius.
Your own story is always written inside you.
Smell opens that book.
Read it and be comforted.
– Christopher Brosius – November 27, 2018
…Nor, for that matter, can any earthly intellect say what anything is, since all of our descriptive words express nothing more than how the things appear to ourselves; and our descriptions, therefore, are all but bits of autobiography.
– From Women, by Booth Tarkington
If only there could be an invention that bottled a memory like scent, and it never faded and it never got stale. And then, whenever one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the memory all over again.
– From Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier
Been there. Done that. That’s rather the whole point…
Nothing sparks the memory so powerfully as scent. We know this to be true. One small whiff can tell vividly of a time long gone; perhaps of a moment we thought lost forever yet suddenly, in a flash, we live it again.
But these olfactory recollections are always a Secret History – no one can truly know them but you. Joseph Conrad was right when we wrote that “we live as we dream: alone.”
The perfumes in this collection all speak of single shining points of time in my own life. But they are a paradox as well – these scents reveal everything about me and at the same time, they can reveal nothing at all. They are like speaking of dreams and so you can only approach them by way of your own experience and make of them what you will.
Though we share perfume with those around us when we wear it, still it always tells a very private Secret History. The scents in this collection may tell of mine but when you smell them or wear them, they will tell only of yours.
About Christopher Brosius
Christopher Brosius is an acclaimed American perfumer and olfactory artist, best known as the creator and founder of CB I Hate Perfume (also referred to as CB Olfactory). Having launched the brand’s first public gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in July 2004, Brosius has since been celebrated as one of the most innovative perfumers of the 21st century. With a background in art and set design—shaped by his early studies at Carnegie Mellon and Columbia and a creative tenure in New York’s vibrant ’80s scene—he transitioned through roles at Parsons, Barney’s cosmetics, and Kiehl’s, where he first discovered his talent for blending bespoke scents.
Drawing inspiration from childhood memories of country landscapes and intimate daily experiences, Brosius’s work redefines fragrance as a form of storytelling and olfactory art. He has pioneered natural, alcohol-free perfume formats—such as oil-based absolutes and water-based sprays—designed to preserve true scent character and longevity. His early success included the acclaimed “Dirt” and multi-award‑winning “Snow,” and in 2003, seventy of his creations were featured in the Cooper Hewitt Triennial, making him the first perfumer recognized by a major art museum.
Beyond fragrance, Brosius continues to explore scent through gallery exhibitions—including “Scent is Life”—custom creations, and evolving olfactory experiments, affirming that perfume can be elevated into a genuine sensory art form.
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. The space includes a dedicated 154 square foot room within the IAO, and two window galleries that face the pedestrian street, Chung King Road.
Open Hours
Wednesdays from 1 to 5pm
By appointment at hello@artandolfaction.com
The IAO Gallery is accessible by wheelchair. However, please note that there is a one-inch cement lip at the entry to the IAO.