{"id":65330,"date":"2026-06-05T11:29:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T10:29:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/?p=65330"},"modified":"2026-06-05T11:29:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T10:29:51","slug":"exhibition-the-scent-of-of-babylon-beauty-blooms-in-the-moment-before-its-destruction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/exhibition-the-scent-of-of-babylon-beauty-blooms-in-the-moment-before-its-destruction\/","title":{"rendered":"Exhibition \u00abThe Scent of of Babylon\u00bb: Beauty blooms in the moment before its destruction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Scent Of Babylon, photo by a.kiparis.studio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Among Kiparis\u2019s previous projects are A Time to Gather Stones<\/em> at The Crypt Gallery and the recent Stations of Life: The Way of the Cross<\/em> at Emmanuel Church, West Hampstead. Her new work also unfolds within a sacred setting: the exhibition will take place at the Gothic St John\u2019s Hyde Park, in the heart of London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Optional St Johns at Night<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Gothic St John\u2019s Hyde Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Scent of Babylon<\/em> continues the artist\u2019s long-running exploration of the role of women in biblical narratives. Here, two opposing archetypes converge: the Virgin Mary and the Whore of Babylon. Through Kiparis\u2019s paintings and Andy Go’s media-art installations, the exhibition presents thirteen portraits of women drawn from religious mythology and literary imagination, figures who embody both sanctity and transgression, vulnerability and power. Among them are Salome and Medusa, Ophelia and Lilith, the Lady of Shalott and Mariana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Ophelia, 30 x 15 cm, oil on canvas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From Eden to Babylon, the biblical image of woman as both creator and destroyer reveals the fragility of the world itself. At the centre of the exhibition is Legno Sacro, a fragrance created by Dor Olfactory especially for the project in collaboration with curator and olfactory art researcher Alexandra Dolgosheina. Presented as an active sensory element rather than a supplementary detail, the scent serves as a counterpoint to the visual works, deepening the exhibition\u2019s atmosphere of tension and connecting the figures of Madonna and Harlot \u2014 absolute holiness and apocalyptic decadence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening will also feature an original live performance by Anna Kiparis and Alexandra Dolgosheina, choreographed by London-based choreographer Nick Hodos. Throughout the performance, two women move through the church in opposite directions \u2014 one towards the altar and the other away from it. Exchanging roles as they proceed, they gradually dissolve the boundaries between the sacred and the secular, purity and sin, submission and will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the photo: Alexandra Dolgosheina and Anna Kiparis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition will take place for one night only, on 18 June, and will be open to visitors from 7pm to 10pm at St John\u2019s Hyde Park.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Curated by <\/em>Alexandra Dolgosheina<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scent: <\/em>Dor Olfactory<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video Art: <\/em>Andy Go<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choreography: <\/em>Nick Hodos<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

TICKETS<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Scent of Babylon<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

18 June 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Night Only<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7pm\u201310pm<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

St John\u2019s Hyde Park<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hyde Park Crescent<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

London W2<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On 18 June, artist Anna Kiparis will present the sixth project in her ongoing series of collaborations with artists, writers, and cultural practitioners. The Scent of of Babylon is an exhibition-performance situated at the intersection of media art, choreography, and olfactory art. Executed in a striking red palette, it is the artist\u2019s most visually powerful and ambitious work to date.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[],"type_post":[184],"column":[],"class_list":["post-65330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65330"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65337,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65330\/revisions\/65337"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65330"},{"taxonomy":"type_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_post?post=65330"},{"taxonomy":"column","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column?post=65330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}