March 17 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Tuesday March 17, 2026
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Join Regatu Asefa, Gardiner Museum Curatorial Resident, for a tour of the exhibition Pleasant Smells and Warm Fellowships: Scent in Islamic Ceramics. Following the tour, Rubia Homa will share the history of scent culture in Islam and how it was incorporated in everyday use, for hygiene, rituals and medicine. In this interactive workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to smell various materials and discuss their origins and uses in households from the Islamic golden age to present time.
In celebration of Ramadan, attendees will be gifted a fragrance to take home. Light refreshments will be served.
The Gardiner Museum Curatorial Residency is made possible through the generous support of the Rebanks Family.
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Friends : 42.50
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General : 50
About the Exhibition
In Islamic cultures, scents have been used to evoke Paradise, ward off illnesses and unwanted spirits, and offer enjoyment to everyday life. Pleasant Smells and Warm Fellowships: Scent in Islamic Ceramics asks us to foreground our noses, imagining the rich and intoxicating scents ceramics have elicited, especially when shared with others. The exhibition evokes a common smellscape—an olfactory social environment—Muslim women have and continue to cultivate: the home or harem.
Learn more
Rubia Homa
Rubia Homa is a perfumer from Burlington, Ontario. While residing in Los Angeles, she received her formal fragrance making education at the Institute for Art and Olfaction (IAO). From 2019 to 2023, Rubia was a Board Member at the IAO and served as a judge for the Art and Olfaction Awards. As an Independent Perfumer, Rubia has worked on a variety of projects, partnering with brands and organizations to create olfactive experiences. Rubia recently launched her fragrance line, Huro Fragrances.
