WAAC Member & Artist Iwona Kmiec is exhibiting “Scent of Laundry” in the Ruth Upjohn Gallery, February 23 – March 5, 2022 and will have an online Artist Talk online via zoom, February 24th, 1:00 – 2:00 pm.

Iwona Kmiec is a Polish-Canadian visual artist based in Thornhill, a graduate of the Fine Arts Academy in Gdansk, Poland and Ontario College of Art in Toronto, Canada. She is on a mission to capture joy by rendering enduring scents, and inspired by nature, she uses the sense of smell as a metaphor for her work and considers smell as life’s bonding factor.

Love Trees

“Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.”

Helen Keller

From the artist: “A meaningful scent is not forgotten. When we smell something familiar, we recall the experience of a moment. For instance, I remember petrichor (a scent of the earth after the rain) as a powerful and pleasant reminder of a trip to Poland with my family in the Masuria Lakes region. Petrichor evoked a happy and peaceful experience that became a reference for my art, and inspired the scent metaphor I use in my creative explorations.“

To register for the artist talk on February 24th @ 1:00-2:00 PM, please e-mail cal@womensartofcanada.ca

For in-person visits, Iwona Kmiec will be present at the gallery February 26th from 11:00-2:00 PM and March 5th from 1:00-4:00 PM to meet with visitors.