10 Questions with Lisa Rommé

Lisa Rommé, also known under the pseudonym Shtormit, is a curator and art producer. Born on February 16, 1988, in Moscow, Russia, she got her basic art education at the Art School in Moscow and proceeded with her education at the Russian State University of Cinematography (Moscow). She graduated as a project designer of animation films in 2011. Recently, Lisa has continued her education at the Higher School of Economics (2017), ICA Moscow (2015), and Salzburg Summer Academy (2019). She has also completed two educational programs in France: ENDA 2021 - researcher of Invisible Art, and LE 100ECS 2023 - Cultural Project Management.

She has been a participant in art residencies such as Cité internationale d’arts, Paris (2017, 2019), ACME, London (2020-21), 59 Rivoli, Paris (2022-23), Sculpture Quadrennial, Riga (2021-24), Open studios, Moscow (2018-19) and others. Lisa has been exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery, MMAM, Winzavod, Art-Play, Flacon, Fabrica, Manege, Sidur Museum, State Literary Museum, Total Art Gallery, Cite d’arts Paris, ACME London, Rebonkers, 59 Rivoli.
Since 2016, one of her art-objects is in the collection of the State Literary Museum, Moscow.

Lisa mostly works with olfactory installations and interactive objects, where she examines the embodiment and interactions with the social environment and humor. As the Chief Curator of the Integration Museum for the Disabled and Blind in 2019 (Moscow), she influenced projects that highlighted the sociology of smell as a social tool and the role of contact, total immersion, and interaction.

Lisa participated in more than 140 exhibitions, 19 solo exhibitions, and 17 curatorial projects. She was the winner of 8 art grants and worked in 8 art residencies. Since 2019, she resides and works in Paris.

www.shtormit.fr | @art_olfactory

ARTIST STATEMENT

“I believe our memory is fragmentary, and we can never fully and accurately describe what we have seen or felt. Our body's most lasting memory is olfactory. Even many years later, the recollection of the entire situation can be triggered solely by a particular scent (remember Marcel Proust's famous madeleine as one of the most iconic examples of the olfactory memory phenomenon).

Is it possible to represent fragments of memory? If other people are exposed to these representations, what will their perception be like?

As a researcher of invisible art, I explore these questions, and I have collected my memories to transcribe them visually and olfactory. I incorporate the visual motifs of religious institutions, capture the essence of various ritualistic moments, and draw inspiration from courtly aesthetics.

My methods of working involve multiple steps and layers:

Sacralization. We cherish each of our memories as the utmost treasure and a cherished relic. Every memory holds profound significance and is regarded as precious.
Fragmentariness. Our memory consists of fragments, and we can never accurately fully describe what we saw, even if it was just yesterday or one hour ago. This is one of the main principles of how our memory and brain work.
Symbols. One method to represent memories and feelings is to recreate them in the form of memorials, sarcophaguses, or reliquaries. Sometimes, the absence of symbols in my works reflects our epoch and reveals the theme of fear and the inability to remember and grasp anything.
Sense. I collect only invisible memories. I transform and verbalize them in visible imagery, but they still are not material as nobody can fully reflect what he sees and feels and explain what it means.
I always research and investigate words and their etymology. I look at what people in different cultures say or have said on the subject. This can be omens, sayings, jokes, absurdities, and other verbal messages that often hide double meanings. So, my art can be described as logocentric, as almost all projects are centered around the word and its meaning.

Two projects, nOsense and Temple of Saturnus, presented for the interview, reveal a unified idea: slow down, stop, and think about what time is, what our life is, what we will take away as memories, what we can ask for and can get from life, what is in our hands and what is beyond our control.”

— Lisa Rommé

INTERVIEW

Please tell us a bit about yourself. Why are you an artist, and when did you decide to become one?

I began my studies at a professional art school when I was just five years old, and art has been a constant in my life ever since. It wasn't a matter of choice or considering alternatives just for myself. From an early age, my art life was predetermined by my parents' decisions, and, looking back, they made the right choice. When it came time to choose a profession, I couldn't consider anything else but continuing my education to become an artist.
In 2017, I made a deliberate decision to pursue a career as an artist, choosing this path over becoming a theater or film artist, curator, or illustrator. I came to this because, while working in a team was fulfilling, I felt a strong desire to focus on my personal work and explore themes that mattered to me. I believed I had matured enough to express myself in this direction.
Since 2017, I have been actively exploring olfactory art, taking my first steps in this realm. By that time, I had already participated in numerous group exhibitions and over ten solo shows. Despite this, I found myself questioning the depth of my identity as an artist. I even experimented with not creating art at all. It didn't work. All my projects and works consistently guided me back to art.
Despite 30 years of experience, I firmly established my identity as an artist only in the past seven years. I continue to learn and develop because, in art, there is no final point or pinnacle of success. It is like a mountain, the summit of which remains unseen behind the clouds.

Your work is highly personal and has a lot of very specific references. Did you know from the get-go you would work around those themes? And did you approach and incorporate them into your work at different stages in your career?

I believe that any creation is always personal and subjective. We can only talk sincerely about what matters to us. This keeps us honest and open, sometimes even vulnerable. There's no lie, no deceit in art; you can always feel it. I don't separate my life into art and everyday life. My inspiration is something that surprises me and that I want to understand. In my projects, I often touch on universal human concepts like death, envy, love, and miracles. These are things that affect us all and are easy for everyone to understand.

nOsense, Olfactory sculpture, polymer clay, glass, velvet, wood, 5 х 8 х 12 cm, 2020-2021 © Lisa Rommé | Photo by Nicolas Rommé, 2021, London

You grew up in Moscow, but you are currently residing in Paris. How do these two cities and their environments influence your work?

I was born and lived most of my conscious life in Moscow, yet I've travelled a lot. I visited Paris for the first time back in 2017, and then I realised that I wanted to explore myself and understand this culture here as well.
I am a 100% Russian artist to the core. I grew up watching Russian classical ballet and Soviet movies, reading good literature, and being surrounded by Orthodox heritage. Russian culture is distinctive and original, yet it bears significant influence from European art. So, having studied the European heritage since my early years in art school has made me see it as part of my own heritage, too.
Moscow's wide range of opportunities and abundance has shaped my cosmopolitan outlook. Russian culture, often portrayed as dramatic and tragic, is actually much more diverse and rich. For me, it's a culture of humour and absurdity. Humour, jokes, and absurdity, in particular, played a huge role in influencing me, especially during my work on my thesis on the Russian absurdist writer Daniil Kharms. Moscow has shaped organisation, clarity and efficiency as my character features, as well as my ambition to create high-quality and deep projects and a high skill level to work in a team.
I have lived in Paris for over four years now. I wouldn't say I've massively changed. I've rather gone deeper, becoming more attuned to different nuances and details because French culture, to me, is based on peculiar values in the art of living, food artistry, and profound attention to detail.
Obviously, being in touch with France's rich heritage day by day keeps shaping and influencing me as well. It is still hard to say for sure, as I am still in the process of growing into the country. French culture means a passion for all that is concise, laconic, elegant and harmonious, which has definitely influenced me. However, I always find immense joy whenever I encounter artworks of Russian artists at exhibitions and in the collections of the largest museums. For me, it feels like an occasion to get in touch with my relatives.
However, I would rather not categorise based on nationality, as I believe that great art can be impactful and powerful regardless of the country of origin. All exceptional artists are like an extended family to me. I can connect with them, and I deeply appreciate them even if we share the same spoken language. The language of art, to which I dedicated over 30 years of studying, allows me to comprehend the messages conveyed by artists.

Speaking of work, you are both an artist and a curator. In your opinion, what are the similarities and differences between these two roles?

Both are creative professions, but the curator doesn't wield brushes and paints; instead, they navigate the works and projects of other artists. In my opinion, being a curator is a more challenging profession. It often requires setting aside personal ambitions, refraining from dictating to artists, and instead, inviting them into a dialogue. I've always been drawn to collaborative work with other artists, as it has taught me to listen, understand, and respect the perspectives of fellow professionals, provided they are justified.
The distinction lies in the fact that an artist can afford to be an entirely self-focused egoist, whereas a good curator cannot.

You already have a long and successful career, with several exhibitions and international experiences. What is one lesson you learned and one lesson you would like to pass on to younger artists?

Artist is a profession that requires learning. I devoted over 30 years to my education. I graduated ENDA - SCIC LE 100ECS (Établissement Culturel Solidaire, Paris, 2023), Ecole Nationale d'Art, Paris (2021), Salzburg International Summer Academy of Fine Arts, Salzburg (2019), Russian Humanities University, Moscow (2018), ICA, Moscow (2015), Russian State University of Cinematography, Moscow (2011) and also participated in many international research and educational programmes.
Never give up and believe in your projects; after all, without believing in them, why do art at all? Before definitively declaring yourself an artist, let go of the desire for fame and popularity. The artistic path is not about that. It is not show business. Art is a form of service, at times selfless; it is like the commitment of monks. If you don't hold absolute faith and love for art, then do not become a "monk" in the art world; do not enter this temple.
A true artist is a hermit, not because they are unaccepted or misunderstood, but because their inner world is profound, expansive, and more interesting than reality, which is as diverse as possible. The pursuit should be towards recognition by fellow professionals and esteemed art institutions, not chasing likes on social media or quick sales. This is definitely far from art.

Let's now dive deeper into your practice. You define your work as “Le cabinet de curiosités.” How did you come up with this definition? And how does it apply to your work?

This term came to me quite recently. When I was taking part in the 59 Rivoli art residency project in Paris, the French audience kept telling me that my studio was different from other authors and looked exactly like such a cabinet of curiosities. I started to explore this subject and saw the absolute resemblance of all my working methods there. And in fact, this concept, "Le cabinet de curiosités", is the root of the whole of modern museology and the history of collecting.
For me, each of my subjects is unique. I don't do replicas and duplications. Each object has a name and its own biography, an actual biography. I talk to them, I hug them. They are real characters from other eras to me. Especially when working with antiques, I sense the continuity of the master furniture maker's hands, their craftsmanship, love, and dedication passed down through time.
Art is a different language altogether. To be able to speak it or understand it, you have to study it for a long time. My work is not understandable to everyone, the scents are complex, the themes are unusual. But I don't chase unusualness as a fact. I just think that way.

Temple of Saturnus, Olfactory interactive object, wood, acrylic, velvet, neon, Smell: incense, myrrh, styrax, etc., 16 x 43 x 55 cm, 2023 © Lisa Rommé | Photo by Daria Senin, 2023, Paris

In your work, you use both objects and olfactory elements. How do you choose them in the first place? And how do you combine them?

The central element in my work is scent. I consistently ponder various phenomena, contemplating what they might smell like to me. For instance, what does fear, love, or pain smell like?
I begin my creative process by seeking associations, and sometimes, a piece of work takes shape inspired by an antique object I've encountered or purchased. It feels like I'm breathing life into it, expressing intangible qualities like courage, bravery, or hope. My creations communicate with the viewer through scent, and they aren't all necessarily pleasant. Each of them has its unique character and soul.
I first started working with scents in 2016 when I created a project for the Jerusalem Biennale. The project was about Joseph's dreams, and since some of them were prophetic, I wanted to show DREAMS intangible but also tangible at the same time.
So, I incorporated scents into the exhibit, infusing the walls with fragrance. At that time, I was not familiar with olfactory art, but I started to study it actively. By 2017, I was already conducting real experiments, creating my first samples of scented objects, collecting a large archive, and holding educational lectures on the intricacies of olfaction.
The concepts of animism and the animation of objects from Eastern philosophy resonate with me. In my perspective, herbs possess their own soul and character, and it's through their essence, released as they fade away, that they impart their spirit through scent.
All my projects are dedicated to exploring the nature of fears. Also, I often start a project with a scent that triggers specific associations or memories for me. And from there, I develop a theme for the project, allowing scent to shape the narrative.

As you mention in your statement, your work revolves around "the theme of archaic fears, exploring mystical and paranormal realms, magical rituals, and ancient practices." How did you get interested in such themes? And how do you incorporate them into your work?

I have always been interested in mysticism, magic, astrology and - a human. That's the true mystery of nature! I have always wanted to unravel myself first and foremost. I am intrigued by alchemy because it is, in fact, both the ancestor of pharmacy and perfumery at the same time.
It might seem so odd with all these jars, twigs, scales, and fins, but actually, there is a clear logic, rules and a system of interaction inside. The theme of archaic fears is important for me because not everything can be explained by physiology and psychology. There is something beyond that official science is powerless to explain. That is why I am searching for secrets and insights that would help both me and my audience.

Temple of Saturnus, test perfumes, 2023 © Lisa Rommé

Is there anything else you would like to experiment with? Is there any new medium, technique, theme, or element you would like to introduce in your work?

I literally feel distressed without making total installations. As a former film artist with work experience in theatre, I love large scales. My dream is to create a fully scented house. I dream of making an expansive space for the viewer, filled exclusively with scents and nothing else.
I have made samples of my work with glass, and I am still thinking about how to integrate this practice into my projects. I am not too much interested in new technologies; rather, I am passionate about manual labour and the uniqueness of each object I make.

And finally, what are the plans for the future? Are you working on any new projects or exhibitions?

I'm currently involved in several exciting projects, including one for the Riga Quadrennial of Sculpture titled "Alchemists of Riga" and another named "Time Pill" for France. Additionally, I'm working on a project called "Garden of Vices", a unique museum olfactory project, and a few more. I usually have several projects going on at the same time because by doing so, I can juggle easily and not get tired.
I prefer to keep some details under wraps until completion, but you can stay updated on my progress through my website or Instagram.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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