Dafni Melidou

artistic research - photography - education - audiovisual - experimental

Dafni Melidou is a Greek-born research-based artist currently based in Rotterdam. Her interdisciplinary practice intertwines the visual and olfactive fields, drawing from her background in both photography and perfumery. With a Master's degree in Photography, Melidou's work expands beyond traditional photographic practice, often exploring the materiality of the image, the layering of information through video-constellations and critically analyzing contemporary visual culture through research groups. Additionally, her training as a technical perfumer allows her to approach scent from an artistic perspective. By largely the significance of the olfactory sense in her artistic practice, Melidou aims to open up an embodied way of knowledge and understanding of complex social and ecological subjects. In her role as an educator at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, she introduces students to olfactory art, reflecting her commitment to experimentation and sensory awareness through educational and collective practices.

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    • Smell coLAB

    Workshop

    • 21-01-2024 t/m 26-01-2024
    • In collaboration with: The Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK)
    • Location: , The Hague
    • "Smell coLAB" was a workshop that I designed for the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK). The scope of the workshop was to envision an olfactory archive of the future—a collection of smells and memories that might alter or vanish due to the ongoing climate crisis. The students were invited to speculate on our shared future through a sensory exploration. "Smell coLAB" was an extension of my semester-long course "Smell LAB"

    Smell LAB

    Workshop

    • 13-09-2023 t/m 20-12-2023
    • In collaboration with: The Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK
    • Location: , The Hague
    • "Smell LAB" is a semester-long elective course that I designed for and taught at The Royal Academy of Art (KABK). The students explored the potential of smells and the crucial role of olfaction in designing transformative experiences. Under my guidance they were encouraged to expand their creative boundaries. By incorporating olfaction into their artistic practice they were able to intensify the emotional impact of their work and add layers of depth and meaning to their artistic narratives.

    Artist in residence

    Residencies / exchange

    • 01-09-2023 t/m 22-12-2023
    • In collaboration with: Goethe Institute
    • Location:, Rotterdam
    • "Investigating E/Iconomic Sediments" was a series of four monthly discursive events, that I hosted together with my collaborator Philipp Schwalb at Goethe-Institute Rotterdam during our joint residency. The events were dedicated to image-constellations and they touched upon a different topic that was investigated in and through images together with a community of artists and art workers.

    Artist in residence

    Residencies / exchange

    • 07-07-2022 t/m 27-08-2022
    • In collaboration with: HALLE 14 Center for Contemporary Art + Goethe Institute Thessaloniki
    • Location: Spinnerei (Cotton Factory), Leipzig
    • A footnote in the world history (2022) is a recent project that I started in July 2022 during my 2-month residency in Leipzig at HALLE 14 - Center for Contemporary Art. It revolves around the recent history of Germany's reunification and the intergenerational trauma of East Germans. While it takes place in a place that doesn't exist anymore, a non-place, the inner border of East Germany, it shows a perpetual struggle of escaping.
    • https://www.instagram.com/p/ChpfC5PDHlU/