The Scent of Art

In 2006, after hearing that more people travel to the moon than there are expert "noses" also known as perfumers, people who can understand and interpret elements to create fragrances, we had to find out more about this invisible and strange world of scent.

It was meeting one of the best "noses" in the world on a Lufthansa flight across the Atlantic when we were introduced to the brain of a "nose", quickly learing how cerebrial a process it is to make memorable scents. How they spoke about a smell. Watching them think as they carefully sniff their moss, or a root, mold, dirt, and hear how they talk about the smell in alien pros. It was just the right amount of haughtiness and pretence to lure us in, and what turned out to be one of our most stimulating creative projects.

We were actually curious to explore the influence smell could have on images, and teamed up with renowned parfumerie Symrise of New York, and created 9 distinctive scents, and then allowed each scent to conduct the creation of imagery. The result is TRUTH, 9 artworks that were made by each fragrance. These were fragrances not for sale, but solely to expand our senses.

The Hilton Brothers' show at Sebastian Guinness Gallery brings together two bodies of work: the 'ANDYDANDY' and 'Hippofolium' portfolios. All are diptychs, to which each 'brother' brings his distinct contribution, creating a beautiful and intriguing dialogue between the two.

Technically superb flower images are Solberg's contribution to each piece in the show, whilst Makos brings his re-thinking of the equine portrait for the Hippofolium collaboration, and portraits of Andy Warhol for the ANDYDANDY portfolio. The images of Andy Warhol, who was a close friend and mentor, are the result of the 1981 collaboration between Makos and Warhol, 'Altered Image', through which the photographer and his subject used unexpected combinations of simple elements to explore identity.

ANDY "DANDY" WARHOL EXHIBITION- HOTEL VILLA PADIERNA, MARBELLA -13^th June 2008 - Hotel Villa Padierna is proud to announce its collaboration with the bespoke Marbella art gallery, Dideh Art, to host the first European viewing of "Andy Dandy", a photograph collection of Andy Warhol portraits by The Hilton Brothers. The photos will be on display to the public from 18^th to 24^th July 2008 at Hotel Villa Padierna and introduced during a glamorous event on 17^th July at the hotel's new Roman Amphitheatre.

The Hilton Brothers' latest exhibition is a portfolio of 20 digital pigment prints. "Andy Dandy" is a series of photo collaborations between Christopher Makos and Paul Solberg who have taken on the identity of The Hilton Brothers for their enterprise. "Andy Dandy" combines the Warhol portraits by Makos with Solberg's flower portraiture for an eerie, yet fresh, look at an icon of modern art. The flowers further feminise the figure of Warhol in his wigs, and their colour contrasts with the black and white. The iconic pop artist Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987) will be seen in a new light in this exhibition: "We question what is real, what is past and what our interpretation means to us. Andy Dandy is a fabulous homage to a pop master", say The Hilton Brothers about their latest work.

There is only one Palace Hotel, and a second home for the Hilton Brothers. Having opened their doors in 1911, it may be the Titanic's landlocked sister. In 2007, the Hilton Brothers' took down the regal portraits of renowned guests that have graced the walls for generations, and replaced them with portraits of homeless Dogs. This strange and witty confrontation brought in the best of Spain's royalty and rock stars.