Description
Fado Jasmim
Miguel Matos has just released Fado Jasmim, a special limited edition that is a statement of my origins. I wanted to talk about my culture, especially about a feeling, a state of mind. I have to admit I am not a patriotic person, but there is one thing that I am very proud of, and something that makes me Portuguese to the core of my DNA: That is Fado, the music that is the symbol of Portugal, and is in fact recognized by UNESCO as Inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
If there is something that touches me deeply, and awakens my emotions, it’s Fado. This becomes even stronger when, for example, I am far away from my country and I hear the deep voices and the whimsical sounds of the Portuguese Guitarra. It makes me cry instantly. Fado is about sadness and making it beautiful. Portuguese people are melancholic, but they know how to turn greed into art. The best example of this is the song Tudo Isto é Fado, here performed by the greatest icon of fado, singer Amália Rodrigues.
Perfumer
Miguel Matos has been an arts and culture journalist for the past 2 decades, and some years ago he found a way of turning an old obsession into a job: he is a scent critic and Scent Art curator.
He is one of the editors and columnists at Fragrantica.com and Fragrantica.com.br. He organizes exhibitions on art and olfaction for galleries and museums: Synesthesia Project / Per Fummum (Miguel Justino Gallery, Lisbon, 2015), Making the Body Think (Casa da Cerca Contemporary Arts Center, Almada, and Institute for Art and Olfaction, Los Angeles, 2017). He wrote the books Artistas Portugueses em Discurso Direto (Guerra e Paz ed.) and O Zodiaco Perfumado (Pergaminho ed), as well as many art shows catalogs.
He is also the creative director of a fragrance capsule collection with his name within the brand SP Parfums (Suntanglam, Lisbon Blues, Funfair and the upcoming Nowhere Fast).
He likes to talk, and he regularly hosts the series of lectures Perfume Sniffing in Lisbon as well as scented experiences with wine and scent for the Enoteca de Belém (Lisbon). Honorary member of the Perfume Bottle Association. He is a collaborator and writer for special projects at Parfums Grès.
Miguel was recently recognized on the top 5 finalists at the Fragrance Foundation Awards for Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage (2017) and was also nominated for the Perfumed Plume Awards in the same year.
Miguel Matos was the winner of the best perfume in the independent category at The Art and Olfaction Awards in 2020 with the perfume Young Hearts.
