The olfactory artwork Reminder, created specifically for the exhibition by artist and perfumer Alexander Kasses of the Viennese fragrance house Néomirage, engages time through scent — the sense most closely tied to memory and the body.

Inspired by Marcel Proust’s reflections on involuntary memory, the fragrance exists both immaterially in the space and materially as a limited edition of one hundred oil essences. Composed of incense, blood orange, and ylang-ylang, the scent is grounding yet alert. It does not sedate; it awakens a gentle attentiveness.

Smell cannot be avoided or fully controlled. It enters the body directly, often before thought. At the same time, it can be conditioned - returning us to specific moments through repetition. In this tension between exposure and intention, Reminder becomes a tool for active rest: a way of marking time, individually and physically.

To take the fragrance away is a Reminder that rest can be chosen again.

The program is part of the exhibition Active Rest: An Exploration of Time, 20 February – 4 April 2026.

Alexander Kasses is a multimedia artist based in Vienna working across film, music, and perfumery. He studied electroacoustic composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and transmedia art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Since 2024, his artistic practice has expanded to include olfactory work, treating fragrance as a time-based and embodied medium. He is the founder of the Vienna-based fragrance house NÉOMIRAGE, dedicated to niche artisanal fragrance composition and the fusion of music and perfumery.