Kitchen Conversations

Ilja Aviarjanaŭ - Taiwanese Oolong and Eastern Slavic rap music

# 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

Alisi Telengut - Nomadic, indigenous wisdom frame by frame

# 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

Kitchen Conversations about Stanisław Wyspiański

# 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

Aziza Kadyri - The collective memory of Uzbek women

# 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)

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Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Elena Mikaberidze - Georgia and it's Blueberry Dreams

# 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 

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Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Artsiom Lobach - Belarusian film industry in exile

# 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

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Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Thumbnail photo by Ruslan Sereduk

Lena Le - From the streets of Minsk to the roots of Vietnam

# 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 

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Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Vladimir Kozlov - Making political, no-budget cinema

# 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/

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Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Mix & master: Jonas Kröper

Open Group - Ukraine and the sounds of war [en]

#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/

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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

Open Group - Ukraine and the sounds of war [pl]

# 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/

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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