Exhibitions · 2024

Pluviophile – The Rain Lover: A Solo Scent Exhibition by Rei Nguyen

Published: 10 July 2024
Language: English
Reading time: 2 min

Read this piece in Vietnamese: Đọc bằng tiếng Việt

First published in Vietnamese on 10 July 2024. Translated in 2026 and kept to the original.

Since then:

The exhibition ran from 19 to 31 July 2024 and has closed; the invitation to attend and the registration button no longer apply.
The address given here is “34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, Thảo Điền”; it is now 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, An Khánh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.

A visitor smells a small ball of wool hung from a fine thread, one of the scent carriers at the Pluviophile – The Rain Lover exhibition

What is a scent exhibition?

A scent exhibition is about what the nose experiences: the sense, it seems, most easily forgotten. Though it is the least talked-about of the senses, smell has the power to stir associations and lead us back into memory. Olfactory artists compose scents that sometimes depict things as they are and sometimes evoke the feelings, memories and messages they wish to express.

The scent exhibition Pluviophile – The Rain Lover

This July is a memorable one for R Parfums: it marks two years since our showroom opened at 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, Thảo Điền. To celebrate, we are pleased to present “Pluviophile – The Rain Lover”, a scent exhibition by perfumer Rei Nguyen, founder of the niche perfume brand R Parfums.

In “Pluviophile – The Rain Lover”, Rei Nguyen recounts, in seven scents, moments of her own life bound up with rain. Visual installations placed throughout the exhibition heighten the pleasure of smelling.

Still water rippling in rings from falling raindrops, a small leaf afloat, recalling the rain of Pluviophile

About the perfumer, Rei Nguyen

Rei Nguyen is a perfumer and the founder of R Parfums. After studying perfume design in Tokyo, she returned to Vietnam to live and work, and has given more than seven full years to the practice of olfactory art and to making perfume. Her scents are full-bodied, and she is known for a way of composing that seeks balance by working with the contrasts between materials. “The art of formulation is akin to alchemy, where balance plays an essential role.”

Perfumer Rei Nguyen holding a paper blotter, with shelves of raw-material bottles and the R Parfums lettering on the wall behind her

What you will find at Pluviophile – The Rain Lover

Here is what Pluviophile holds for you. Seven original scents: each one is a story, a message carrying Rei Nguyen’s deepest feelings and her fondest memories of rain. An installation to step into: each area of the exhibition is carefully arranged around its own theme, with much to strike and inspire the eye. Meet the perfumer Rei Nguyen: join a conversation with Rei to hear more about her creative path and the stories behind each scent in Pluviophile.

The blending table at the exhibition: rows of labelled raw-material bottles, droppers, paper blotters and glass beakers

Partners in Pluviophile – The Rain Lover

“Pluviophile – The Rain Lover” is organised by R Parfums, an artistic niche perfume brand, with the support of the following partners. Our thanks to LAM Weaving Spaces, who designed and built the space and made the exhibition a pleasure to look at. Our thanks, too, to NOTE – The Scent Lab, who helped make the visit a personal one for each guest.

Exhibition details

Dates: 19–31 July 2024. Venue: 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, Thảo Điền. Admission is complimentary.

A last word

“Pluviophile – The Rain Lover” is a solo exhibition that explores stories and memories through seven distinctive scents, created by perfumer Rei Nguyen from moments in her own life bound up with rain. R Parfums believes it will be an artistic experience out of the ordinary, and one to remember, for all who love scent and art. We would be delighted to welcome you.