Nana Yaw Oduro uses the body to create dynamic silhouettes and shapes set against backgrounds from the beautiful to the mundane. Two figures lock arms and heads against rust-red sand. A young man in a bright orange hat eats an orange before a vast, gradient sky. Five young people in stark white T-shirts sip soda out of green glass bottles. Oduro’s images are about his subjects, while also evoking a feel that has nothing to do with their actions. He can create an unforgettable photo with just a small choice of surprising color, movement, and object. They evoke a feeling rather than a clear message.

Perhaps that’s why Infiniment Coty Paris was drawn to his work when they invited 14 artists to interpret the scents in their debut collection. The 14 fragrances were designed to not only please the nose, but get to the heart, the mind, the soul. They trigger memories and experiences. They ignite creativity, love, and excitement.

And so recently Infiniment Coty asked Oduro to create an artistic interpretation of its Santal a la Vida fragrance, while incorporating its unique stackable bottle—designed with artcycling in mind. The young Ghanaian artist created a wooden frame that opens to an image of three men in white shorts, reaching toward a bird with wings spread, about to take flight. The doors of the frame house Infiniment Coty Paris’s bottles, which Oduro filled with messages of freedom and small white feathers.

To learn more about his inspiration, Whitewall spoke with Oduro as well as fragrance expert, writer, and historian Elisabeth de Feydeau, to connect the intersection of art and scent.

WHITEWALL: Elisabeth, can you tell us about the scent, Santal a la Vida? What stands out for you?

ELISABETH DE FEYDEAU: The expression is centered around the santal, and contrasted by jasmine. We are really on this tension, a little bit of a dark and light, with this floral delicacy. There is this woody strength, but around the woods that are creamy and not dry. There is a beautiful resonance with this perfume.

It immediately carried me towards Frida Kahlo, with this personality that was surreal, as if in a dream. She dreamed her life. She transposed all her pains, all her expectations, and her desire for freedom while she was imprisoned in her body.

The Mesmerizing Photography of Nana Yaw Oduro

WW: Can you tell us about your photography, Nana? And what aspect of your work you felt would encapsulate the feeling and emotion of Santal a la Vida?

NANA YAW ODURO: My photographs embody my personal experiences, my culture, and a desire for freedom. In my work, I express myself through the bodies of my subjects since it is more feasible than photographing myself. But there is always a feeling of me and my emotions in my creations. Often, they evoke a sense of loneness and a contemplation of place and environment. For this project, I proposed a photograph with a bird to symbolize liberty and emancipation. This project is a very introspective work.

“My photographs embody my personal experiences, my culture, and a desire for freedom,” —Nana Yaw Oduro

EDF: The image of the white bird, which contrasts with the black, goes very, very well, I find, with this perfume. It’s the contrast between the flowers and the wood, between the black and the white, between shadow and light.

The wood notes impose this idea of power, of immortality, of roots that will seek far in the earth, of shadows, of forests, too, which can become very dark. And in contrast with the whiteness of jasmine, the whiteness of white santal, a very sacred wood. They have an obscure facet. There’s an animality, this molecule that white flowers have, and that jasmine has, particularly and especially in the fall of the night. I think it’s very well interpreted by the photo, which is more than a photo—it is almost a painting, whose symbolism goes again towards infinity, towards serenity, towards peace somewhere.

WW: Nana, what was it like to work with your image and incorporate the artcycling aspect of the Infiniment Coty Paris bottles?

NYO: As I am a photographer, working with the bottles was a challenge at first. I had to think about the feasibility. The idea was to reinforce the notion of freedom in both a beautiful and a meaningful piece. I wanted to create an artwork that would go beyond photography. I filled some bottles with phrases from a poem I wrote, and the word “freedom” written in several languages. Others are filled with white feathers as an invitation to spread our wings and pursue our dreams.

I worked with a craftsman in Paris on the frame. It was designed as a triptych with two opening doors to evoke introspection and exploration. It was the first time I produced a work of this kind, and it encourages me to explore further and nurture my creativity with other forms of art.

WW: What were your impressions of the scent?

NYO: For me, the scent, like the name Santal a la Vida, evokes an expression of exuberance, celebration, and freedom. It resonates with the idea of savoring every moment, reminding me that life is only truly meaningful when we are free to express and explore. This sense of evocation comes from the strong smell of the perfume giving a sense of empowerment and energy. Also, I like that the woody creamy notes balance with the ones of jasmine. When it falls on your body, you can feel its smoothness on your skin.

We wanted to create a doorway, a pathway to freedom. Even in the face of adversity, if you’re trapped in something, there’s always a doorway that you have to figure out. And incorporating these bottles that can be stacked on each other was an experience. It was a challenge that I enjoyed and one that I think I’m going to again. It was a study and a new teaching experience.

Infiniment COTY Paris Embraces Notes of Santal

WW: Elizabeth, what are the origins of santal?

EDF: We must not forget that the santal is, above all, a mystical tree. It is native to India. For four thousand years, it has played a very important role. It is one of the oldest materials in perfumery. It is known in all rituals, whether it is in ancient Egypt, but also in all sacred texts which are at the base of Hinduism. It enters into religious ceremonies, wedding ceremonies, too. It is burned like incense. And this smoke of santal, this smoke of incense, is there to raise the soul, promote meditation, and also appease.

And that’s what I find particularly touching when you see this work from an emotional point of view, because you almost already have the smell. The name santal comes from sandoul, which means useful. And, why useful? Because it resists insects very well. That’s also why it was used in the construction of palaces and temples since antiquity. That’s also why often the doors are made of sandalwood, the temple doors, the palace doors, too. And these doors were useful, but also scented the place. So that’s what, you see, this idea of the doors.

NYO: That’s very interesting, and especially when you talk about the spiritual aspect, because my aim was to inspire reflection and introspection, encouraging people to contemplate their own inner powers. I wanted to create a doorway, a pathway to freedom. I wanted to remind people that true freedom is not just about breaking physical chains, but also about freeing ourselves from the fears, doubts, and social expectations we all face. For me, freedom is first and foremost a state of mind.

EDF: It’s quite interesting because the sandalwood is really the wood of sacred doors, palaces, and which scents while protecting, as if to keep a treasure inside. This treasure, it could be peace, quite simply. I think it’s really very beautiful to see how olfactory art and visual art meet on the same idea.