Kitchen Conversations

From Berlin to Kyiv: A Magazine Journey — with Sebastian Wells

#73 – in conversation with documentary photographer Sebastian Wells

Sebastian's long-term documentary projects explore the interplay between spaces, people, and systems of power. In 2022, he co-founded the English-language magazine Solomiya with Vsevolod Kazarin. The publication showcases contemporary Ukrainian artists and writers, with each issue (now at No. 5) examining different aspects of the ongoing war — and how people in Ukraine continue to resist, survive, and live within a new reality.

References:

Artists website: https://sebastianwells.de/ 

Solomiya Mag: https://solomiyamag.com/ 

Ostkreuz Agentur der Fotografen: https://www.ostkreuz.de/

Shift Books (publishing house): https://www.instagram.com/shift.books/?hl=en 

Ukrainian Environmental Humanities Network: https://www.instagram.com/ukrenvhum/?hl=en 

Get the Solomiya magazine,

in Berlin - Do you read me?! https://doyoureadme.de/en 

in Warsaw - Ujazdowski Castle for Contemporary Art https://u-jazdowski.pl/en/programme/publications/bookshop 

in Kyiv - readellion https://readellion.com/ or zbirka https://zbirka.shop/eng/ 

Sebastian's favourite (home) food: Königsberger Klopse 

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Recording, editing & translation: Patrycja Rozwora

Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

On dust, dirt and treasures - with Kamila Wolszczak

#3 Between Mothers

In conversation with multidisciplinary Polish artist Kamila Wolszczak, in a new series of Kitchen Conversations devoted to mothers and motherhood in the arts.

Kamila likes thinking while walking, digging clay, collecting dust and listening to the sounds of ceramics. She is a mum to a now one year old Amber but started working with kids long before becoming a mum herself. Kamila involves the youngest audience in her practice and attempts to learn from their open minds that are not yet conditioned by the structures of our capitalist societies.

References:

Artist Web https://kamilawolszczak.com/ 

Artist Insta https://www.instagram.com/kamila_wolszczak/ 

Biennale Sztuki dla Dziecka in Poznan https://biennaledladziecka.pl/ 

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Song: Mama by Heintje

Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Jingle, mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Mothers Without Hands - Between Mothers with Tereza Bušková

#2 Between Mothers

In conversation with Birmingham-based, Prague-born artist Tereza Bušková in a new series of Kitchen Conversations devoted to mothers and motherhood in the arts.

Tereza’s practice delves into ritual, tradition, and craft, reviving and reimagining Slavic and broader European customs. Whether hosting baking and craft workshops or orchestrating city-wide processions as part of her Mothers Without Hands project, her work is firmly grounded in community, fostering connections across cultural backgrounds and political divides.

References:

Artist website: https://www.terezabuskova.com/ 

Mothers Without Hands: https://motherswithouthands.wordpress.com/ 

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Song: Mama by Heintje

Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Jingle, mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Cottbus und das osteuropäische Kino - mit Bernd Buder

#70 – im Gespräch mit dem Programmdirektor des FilmFestivals Cottbus, Bernd Buder.

Das FilmFestival Cottbus ist eines der weltweit führenden Festivals, wenn es um das aktuelle Filmschaffen in Mittel- und Osteuropa geht. 

Im Zentrum des Festivals stehen drei Wettbewerbe. Viele Filme feiern in Cottbus ihre internationale, deutsche oder sogar weltweit erste Aufführung. Nach fast jedem Film gibt es spannende Gespräche mit den anwesenden Regisseur*innen, Produzent*innen und Schauspieler*innen.

Website und Programm: https://www.filmfestivalcottbus.de/de/ 

Empfehlungen für Essen in Cottbus:

1. Stadtwächter https://maps.app.goo.gl/FRDKtjrRT2LkgFdN7 
2. Restaurant Kartoffelkiste https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZG5EyAtRZJDQsey57 
3. Bellessa  - Südamerikanisches Restaurant https://maps.app.goo.gl/XeK8iDkAkVuLN28a9 
4. Mosquito - https://maps.app.goo.gl/BtUYAUxmRReBTidj7 
5. Tratoria II Sardo https://maps.app.goo.gl/RL1Fj1hTnDdWiTxdA 
6. Esscobar https://maps.app.goo.gl/tsiR9GpDkK4NFb4Y9 

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Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/ 

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Thumbnail: photo by Stefan Göbel

Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Jingle, mix & master: Jonas Kröper

“She’s just a stay-at-home mom” - Between Mothers with Larysa Bauge

#1 Between Mothers

Performance and live artist from Belarus, Larysa Bauge in a new series of Kitchen Conversations episodes devoted to mothers and motherhood in the arts.

Can motherhood and art truly coexist? Can parenting be seen as cool in the art world? What are the taboos we still don’t talk about? And ultimately, how can we make the art world a better place for mothers and parents?

As Larysa describes, her performances are full of blood, tears, and sweat—as befits an artist from Eastern Europe. An honest conversation about the bodily, physical, and mental effort it takes to be a mother—labor that’s so often simplified or diminished to quote Larysa “Oh, she’s just a stay-at-home mom.”

References:

Artist website: https://www.larysabauge.com/ 

Artist instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bauge_visualart/ 

Nightbitch (movie trailer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG2ThcpFM9o 

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Song: Mama by Heintje

Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Jingle, mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Queering the Polish Countryside - with Daniel Rycharski [overdubbed]

#68 [overdubbed]– in conversation with Polish interdisciplinary artist, Daniel Rycharski.

Daniel Rycharski is a well-established figure in both the Polish and international art scene. His work bridges themes of provincial life, religiosity, Christianity, and LGBTQ+ identity, exploring the tensions and unexpected connections between them. Drawing on his peasant heritage and decades-long research into the Polish countryside, Rycharski offers an honest glimpse into rural Poland today—challenging stereotypes and opening space for dialogue.

References:

Rozbieranie ze snu (wystawa TRAFO) 

Daniel Rycharski - Strachy (MSN)

Daniel's favourite home food: Faćka - peasant chickweed soup & potato dumplings with cheese

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Recording, editing & translation: Patrycja Rozwora

Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Queering the Polish Countryside - with Daniel Rycharski [original]

#68 [original] – in conversation with Polish interdisciplinary artist, Daniel Rycharski.

Daniel Rycharski is a well-established figure in both the Polish and international art scene. His work bridges themes of provincial life, religiosity, Christianity, and LGBTQ+ identity, exploring the tensions and unexpected connections between them. Drawing on his peasant heritage and decades-long research into the Polish countryside, Rycharski offers an honest glimpse into rural Poland today—challenging stereotypes and opening space for dialogue.

References:

Rozbieranie ze snu (wystawa TRAFO) 

Daniel Rycharski - Strachy (MSN)

Daniel's favourite home food: Faćka - peasant chickweed soup & potato dumplings with cheese

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Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kitchenconversations

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Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenconversations.podcast/ 

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Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Taiwanese Oolong and Eastern Slavic rap music - with Ilja Aviarjanaŭ

#67 – in conversation with Belarusian cultural entrepreneur and XianCha Tea founder, Ilja Aviarjanaŭ.

A cozy living room chat with Ilja Aviarjanaŭ, the creator of XianCha Tea — a tea shop dedicated to promoting Taiwanese tea culture across Germany and Europe. This episode explores the surprising connection between Oolong and rap music in Eastern Slavic countries.

The podcast begins with a calming tea ritual led by Ilja, setting the tone for a deep and reflective dive into his passion for tea and the beginnings of his healing journey through tea drinking and supportive community. Along the way, we talk about tea clubs — perhaps the successors to Soviet kvartirniki — as spaces for tea events and rituals, and for some a safe environment to process collective trauma and find connection, especially in these precarious and uncertain times.

References:

XianCha Tea shop: https://www.xianchatea.com/

XianCha Tea spirits: https://www.xianchatea.com/tea-spirits 

Paris Tea Festival https://www.paristeafestival.com/en

Tea Festival in Cieszyn, Poland https://swietoherbaty.pl/pl/

Song ChP by Basta and Guf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRm54SJxcao (Rappers from Russia. In 2017, Basta was banned for three years from entering Ukraine as he had performed in Crimea after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. In January 2023, Ukraine imposed sanctions for his support of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.) 

Kvartirniki: https://www.in-formality.com/wiki/index.php?title=Kvartirniki_(Russia)

RAZAM e.V. https://razam.de/

Music played on the podcast:

Song by Den Da Funk https://open.spotify.com/track/7mA4wUjVaJYzPZdHP0NA4W?si=435becdd37b140d1 (Rapper from Ukraine)

Song by HKHKT https://open.spotify.com/track/6pldRNsy7qxvfsqfaPOfkj?si=d1f07c255c65422d (Rapper from Belarus)

Ilja's favourite home food: Syrniki and Belarusian potato babka

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Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Nomadic, indigenous wisdom frame by frame - with Alisi Telengut

#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)

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Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Stanisław Wyspiański at the National Portrait Gallery - with Alison Smith

#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

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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.

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Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Support or get in touch: https://linktr.ee/kitchenconversations