In the new episode of the HIDDEN Podcast, we sit down with Polish artist Natalia Kleszczewska, whose first solo exhibition outside Poland, SPELLBOUND, is currently on view at HIDDEN Bořivojova in Prague.

Kleszczewska discusses Mark Fisher’s idea of “lost futures” and her concept of artificial romanticism, exploring how familiar images, myths and cultural references can become strange, alien and almost otherworldly. She talks about the figures that inhabit her paintings, the relationship between attraction and fear, and her interest in folklore, horror, science fiction and forgotten cultural traditions, including the Slavic figure of Marzanna and the Japanese tradition of Ohaguro.

The conversation also explores Kleszczewska’s approach to world building and her movement between painting, graphics and digital media. She reflects on her recent collaboration with Björk and Natalie Liu on Nerve Bloom, where her painted creatures and environments were transformed into an animated and sonic world.

SPELLBOUND is on view at HIDDEN Bořivojova: https://hiddengallery.cz/exhibitions/natalia-kleszczewska