Kitchen Conversations

# 66 - in conversation with Canadian animation artist of Mongolian roots, Alisi Telengut. In this episode, you will meet Alisi, whose frame-by-frame, hand-painted animations blur the line between visual art and ethnographic storytelling. Working primarily with pastel and mixed media under the camera, Alisi creates extraordinary movement through painterly textures, exploring nomadic and Indigenous ways of life in Mongolia and beyond. The podcast conversation centers on her 2023 short film Baigal Nuur – Lake Baikal, a breathtaking reimagining of the formation of the world’s oldest lake in Siberia. The film features hand-painted animation, found objects, and the voice of an Indigenous Buryat woman, preserving fragments of her endangered language—a dialect of Mongolian.  References: Artist web https://alisitelengut.com/  Films by Alisi: Becoming Air (2024) https://alisitelengut.com/Becoming-Air-2024  Baigal Nuur - Lake Baikal (2023) https://alisitelengut.com/Baigal-Nuur-Lake-Baikal-2023  Tengri (2012) https://alisitelengut.com/TENGRI-2012    Exhibition in Rosalux (Berlin) https://rosalux.com/galleries/anima-alisi-telengut/  Interfilm Berlin https://www.interfilm.de/  Alisi's favourite home food: German quark, urum and khuruud (types of Mongolian cream and cheese) ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

# 65  - about the exhibition Stanisław Wyspiański: Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in London In conversations with Alison Smith - curator of the display, previously Chief Curator of the National Portrait Gallery, London and currently Director of Collections and Research at the Wallace Collection. Stanisław Wyspiański (1869-1907) was a Polish painter, designer, poet and originator of modern Polish Theater. He was also a key figure of the Młoda Polska (Young Poland) art movement that helped keep national identity alive during Poland's partitions. This podcast episode offers a glimpse into the unique pastel works of Wyspiański, featuring stories of his sitters—including members of the Cracovian intelligentsia—his family, and the artist himself, as well as his decade-long struggle with an illness that profoundly shaped his life and creative output. The one-room display, showing 16 of Wyspiański's pastel portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in London is free and open to all till the 13th of July 2025.  References: About the Exhibition: https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/display/2025/stanislaw-wyspianski-portraits Exhibition Catalogue: https://npgshop.org.uk/collections/books/products/stanislaw-wyspianski-portraits-hardcover-catalogue ___ This episode was created for Contemporary LYNX and with support of the Polish Cultural Institute London. Podcast thumbnail: Józio Feldman by Stanisław Wyspiański, 1905. National Museum in Kraków. Photo: Bartosz Cygan/NMK Digitization Studio. ___ Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper Support or get in touch: https://linktr.ee/kitchenconversations

# 64 - in conversation with London-based, Uzbek multidisciplinary artist, Aziza Kadyri Aziza Kadyri is passionate about exploring new ways of engaging with cultural heritage, with a particular focus on textiles and costume—art forms that have traditionally been labelled as 'feminine'. She’s also deeply interested in how XR/AR/VR and AI technologies can enhance artistic research, edutainment, and socially engaged practices. At the heart of her practice is a commitment to participatory work, especially within Central Asian and Uzbek communities. In this episode, we dive into her role in co-creating the exhibition for the Uzbekistan National Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale. Through this conversation, Aziza shares her vibrant, globally-spanning journey toward becoming an established artist, showcasing her work around the world. Most importantly, she highlights her mission to amplify the voices of Central Asian women artisans—whose stories have often been overlooked by history. References: Aziza website https://www.azizakadyri.com/ Aziza Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aziza.kadyri/  Qizlar Collective https://www.instagram.com/qizlarqizlarqizlar/ Uzbekistan Pavilion 2024 https://www.les-nouveaux-riches.com/interview-uzbekistan-pavilion-2024/ (Les Nouveaux Riches) Aziza about the Uzbek Pavilion part 1 https://www.instagram.com/p/DDKCtS9I53K/ Aziza about the Uzbek Pavilion part 2 https://www.instagram.com/p/DDws0tuIlKV/  Somerset House, London https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/  Aziza's favourite home food: Moshhurda or Moshkichiri (Uzbek soup/porridge with mung beans) ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

# 63 - in conversation with Georgian director and filmmaker - Elena Mikaberidze. In early February, Kitchen Conversations teamed up with From Julia's Desk to host a live communal event in Berlin. As part of the evening's program, we had the privilege of screening the Georgian film Blueberry Dreams. The documentary follows Soso, a good-hearted father who leads his family of four in starting a blueberry farm to secure their future. Set in northern Georgia, their village lies near the troubled border with the Russian-backed region of Abkhazia, an area where tensions have been simmering for over 30 years. A few days after the screening, Patrycja sat down with filmmaker Elena Mikaberidze to record a podcast, diving deeper into the extraordinary documentary, the live of the family at its center, and the broader climate in Georgia today, with a special focus on mixed families navigating the challenges of living a united life in a politically divided country. References: Newsletter From Julia's Desk https://juliaschneider.substack.com/?utm_campaign=email-https://juliaschneider.substack.com/?utm_campaign=email-home&r=2pg744&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email About the filmmaker: https://chaikhana.media/en/authors/164/elena-mikaberidze  Blueberry Dreams (2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUOFWl2thbE  Support the family: https://www.share-doc.org/d/71001  Elena's favourite home food: Ajika - spicy pepper based dip  ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

# 62 - in conversation with Belarusian filmmaker - Artsiom Lobach.  Artsiom Lobach is the final guest recommended by the Belarusian Filmmakers Network. Today, we dive into his documentary film Way Home (2020), which tells the story of Pavlo – a young man who, following Crimea’s annexation by Russia in 2014, moves to the Ukrainian countryside in search of solitude. Belarusian filmmaker Artsiom, only truly understood his protagonist’s journey after he himself, was forced to leave Belarus and settle in Vilnius, Lithuania. Podcast created in collaborating with Belarusian Filmmakers Network (BFN) Films by Artsiom Lobach: Way Home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=delw9Nu65aM New Year's Speech by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVSjI7aEH3k  Belarusian Folk Songs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za3W_2SIwAs&t=7s Other references: Artist Website https://artsiomlobach.wixsite.com/make-video-with-love Artist Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/ArtsiomLobach  European Humanities University in Vilnius  https://en.ehu.lt/about/  Wajda School in Warsaw https://wajdaschool.pl/  Downshifters (lifestyle) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downshifting_(lifestyle) Favourite home food: Potato and pumpkin bake, Carrots with hummus ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper Thumbnail photo by Ruslan Sereduk

# 61 - in conversation with Belarusian filmmaker and photographer - Lena Le. Her first camera was a Siemens M65. She is the great-granddaughter of the Vietnamese writer Nguyễn Công Hoan. Lena - a pianist with a degree, she has taken a vow of musical silence. On the podcast we speak about her latest documentary, 'Four Circles Away From Center' (2023) that is an experiment in the portrait genre. Podcast created in collaborating with Belarusian Filmmakers Network (BFN) Films by Lena Le: Four Circles Away From Center (2023), 48min https://vimeo.com/838621570 Artificial (2020), 9min https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmxJ5YOQVNc  Pane Cisniku (music video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su8Efxjuahc References: The Minsk School of Photography https://rosphoto.org/events/the-minsk-school-of-photography-1960-s-2000-s/  Platform Vodblisk https://en.vodblisk.northernlightsff.com/lena_le  ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

# 60 - in conversation with Belarusian filmmaker and writer, Vladimir Kozlov.  Born in Mogilev, an industrial city in what is now Belarus, Vladimir Kozlov grew up amidst the unraveling of the Soviet Union. His formative years in the suburbs were marked by the chaos of the early 1990s—a time of unbridled freedom, wild capitalism, and rampant crime. Moving from Mogilev to Minsk and eventually to Moscow, Vladimir has dedicated his life to unpacking the legacy of the Soviet past. Through his writing and cinematographic work, he delves deep into the cultural and social fabric of Russian and Belarusian society, asking pressing questions: Where did we go wrong? What did we overlook, leading us back to a totalitarian and authoritarian reality? Podcast created in collaborating with Belarusian Filmmakers Network (BFN) Films by Vladimir Kozlov: Number 10 (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WpAKih8Ak0 Whatever We Want (2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REZpHrzQH0o&t=10s Three Comrades (2020) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chU-CDMLSz4&t=649s Summer of '89 (2022) https://vodblisk.northernlightsff.com/summer_of_89 Other references: Artist YouTube https://www.youtube.com/vkozlov Artist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/v_kozlov/ ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

#59 [overdubbed] - in conversation with Open Group - a Ukrainian art collective representing Poland at the 60th La Biennale di Venezia. In this episode, Patrycja sits down with Yuriy Biley and Anton Varga, two members of Open Group, to explore their thought-provoking audiovisual installation, Repeat after Me II. This powerful work serves as a collective portrait of civilian witnesses to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Featuring two videos created in 2022 and 2024, the installation presents refugee stories through the haunting sounds of weaponry they recall. Using a unique karaoke format, the piece invites viewers to mimic these sounds, teaching them to identify weapons by ear—a skill that could, in a dystopian future, be the key to survival. References: Open Group website http://open-group.org.ua/en/about-us Polish Pavillion in Venice https://labiennale.art.pl/en/ Repeat after Me II publication https://zacheta.art.pl/en/e-sklep/katalog/repeat-after-me-ii Yuriy Biley https://www.instagram.com/yuriy.biley/ Anton Varga https://www.instagram.com/anton.varga/ ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Podcast thumbnail: (from the left) Pavlo Kovach, Yuriy Biley, Anton Varga at the opening of the 60th La Biennale di Venezia. Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Transcription & overdubbing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

# 59 [original] - in conversation with Open Group - a Ukrainian art collective representing Poland at the 60th La Biennale di Venezia. In this episode, Patrycja sits down with Yuriy Biley and Anton Varga, two members of Open Group, to explore their thought-provoking audiovisual installation, Repeat after Me II. This powerful work serves as a collective portrait of civilian witnesses to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Featuring two videos created in 2022 and 2024, the installation presents refugee stories through the haunting sounds of weaponry they recall. Using a unique karaoke format, the piece invites viewers to mimic these sounds, teaching them to identify weapons by ear—a skill that could, in a dystopian future, be the key to survival. References: Open Group website http://open-group.org.ua/en/about-us Polish Pavillion in Venice https://labiennale.art.pl/en/ Repeat after Me II publication https://zacheta.art.pl/en/e-sklep/katalog/repeat-after-me-ii Yuriy Biley https://www.instagram.com/yuriy.biley/ Anton Varga https://www.instagram.com/anton.varga/ ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Podcast thumbnail: (from the left) Pavlo Kovach, Yuriy Biley, Anton Varga at the opening of the 60th La Biennale di Venezia. Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

# 58 - in conversation with The Neighbours - an artist collective representing Bulgarian at the 60th La Biennale di Venezia. Speaking to artists: Krasimira Butseva, Julian Chehirian, Lilia Topouzova and curator: Vasil Vladimirov. The Neighbours explores the silenced memories of survivors of political violence during Bulgaria’s communist era (1945 to 1989). Employing found objects, video, and sound design, the installation conveys the stories of those who endured Bulgarian Gulag camps and prisons. This multidisciplinary project, rooted in extensive scholarly research and more than 40 interviews conducted by the practitioners, reimagines the survivors‘ homes —the spaces where the interviews occurred—inviting audiences to inhabit them and bear witness. References: https://www.labiennale.org/en/art/2024/bulgaria https://www.bulgarianpavilionvenice.art/en https://www.instagram.com/bulgariavenicebiennale/ Favourite home food: Chicken with Rice, Gris-Halva, Katschamak, Mish-mash ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper  

# 57 - in conversation with artist and researcher from Ukraine and Germany, Marija Petrovic. In her artistic practice, Marija is interested in situations of fragile contact and interaction, as well as in the multi-layered complexities of memory and representation. In the podcast she talks about her publication 'Silver', which examines the silverware collection looted by the Nazis from Jewish-German communities in Hamburg. Marija also shares the first results of her doctoral research on vulnerability and the past and present of Ukraine from a decolonial perspective. References: Silver by Marija Petrovic and Ofri Lapid https://material-verlag.hfbk-hamburg.de/en/material/440-silver  HFBK Hamburg https://www.hfbk-hamburg.de/en/  Museum fur Kunst & Gewerbe Hamburg https://www.mkg-hamburg.de/en  Timothy Snyder https://timothysnyder.org/ Marija's favourite home food: Ukrainian potato pancakes - Deruny, and Crimean street food - Chebureki ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Thumbnail: Silverware - vitrine view in the Museum of Arts and Crafts Hamburg (MK&G), photo: Ofri Lapid Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

# 56 - in conversation about Secondary Archive (Katarzyna Kozyra Foundation). Speaking with foundation's president Katarzyna Kozyra and foundation's director Iga Maria Szczepańska. Katarzyna Kozyra is one of Poland's most famous conceptual artists, working internationally since the 90s. In 2012, she founded the Katarzyna Kozyra Foundation to help women artists and cultural workers from Central and Eastern Europe promote their work. Secondary Archive tells the history of non-Western — primarily Central and Eastern European — art through the lens of gender, covering the period after WWII through the present. This archive is composed of artistic statements and unknown pages of the biographies and practices of female artists, where one can see the names of those who have been marginalized, neglected, forgotten, or remain little known to the general public alongside artifacts from key female figures of non-Western art.  References: Katarzyna Kozyra Foundation http://katarzynakozyrafoundation.pl/en/ Pyramid of Animals http://katarzynakozyra.pl/en/projekty/the-pyramid-of-animals/  Secondary Archive Women Artists in War, Galeria Iga's favourite home food: Meatballs in Dill Sauce, Thai Roti with Banana, Condensed Milk and Egg ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper  

# 55 - in conversation with visual artist representing Romania at the 60th La Biennale di Venezia, Șerban Savu. The exhibition in the Romanian Pavilion, What Work Is, revisits the iconography of labour, drawing inspiration from historical realism and the propaganda art of the Eastern Bloc. Instead of challenging these discourses directly, Șerban challenges them by rearranging their tropes. His aim is to capture and portray moments of pause and inactivity, of indistinction between work and leisure, as reflections of broader societal changes or crises. The Romanian Pavilion at the Biennale Arte 2024 is curated by Ciprian Mureșan. The exhibition will take place in both the Giardini della Biennale and at The New Gallery of the Romanian Institute of Culture and Humanistic Research in Venice from April 20 till November 24, 2024. Favourite home food: Ciorba de loboda, Stinging Nettle Salad References: Biennale Arte 2024 | Romania Dawid Radziszewski Gallery Galeria Plan B ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Podcast thumbnail: Șerban Savu by Paul Stoie / courtesy of Galeria Plan B Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

# 54  - about an exhibition, Franciszka Themerson: Walking Backwards in Tate Britain.  In conversations with: Dr Hilary Floe, Senior Curator, Modern and Contemporary British Art, Tate Britain Saskia Flower, Assistant Curator, Modern and Contemporary British Art, Tate Britain Weronika Gertig - Burgess, Themerson Estate London Franciszka Themerson (1907-1988) was a Polish, later British, painter, illustrator, filmmaker and set designer. Together with her husband Stefan Themerson, she was one of the most important experimental filmmakers in interwar Poland. Her film work, as well as her paintings and drawings, challenged social conformity and revealed her belief in individual freedom. During and after the Second World War, Francziszka Themerson created humorous works that dealt profoundly with the complex themes of trauma and loss.  The one-room display at Tate Britain is free and open to all till the 30th of March 2025.  References: The Themerson Archive Catalogue Unposted Letters publication The Barbican exhibition Jasia Reichardt curator ___ This episode was created for Contemporary LYNX and with support of Polish Cultural Institute London Podcast thumbnail: Copyrights Themerson Estate   Franciszka Themerson (1907 – 1988) Comme la vie est lente et comme l'espérance est violente Painted in 1959  Oil paint on canvas 101.5 x 151 cm ___ Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora, get in touch: www.patrycjarozwora.com Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

# 53 - in conversation with Krystyna Kacpura - President of the Polish women's rights foundation FEDERA. The Foundation for Women and Family Planning FEDERA is a non-governmental organization fighting for reproductive health and rights, established in Poland in 1991. On the podcast, you will learn about the history of the Foundation and its current projects and actions in light of Poland's regressive politics over the past decade. Krystyna Kacupra describes in detail the changes in Polish abortion law from communist times to 1993, 2022, and today.  Favourite home food: Polish sweets References: FEDERA website FEDERA Insta ARTE Tracks East - Alles neu? Polen nach dem Regierungswechsel ___ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/kitchenconversations  Visit shop: https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/PatrycjaRozwora?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1398125905&from_page=listing Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/  ___ Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora Mix & master: Jonas Kröper