Matej Stetiar’s signature paintings explore the marks we all leave in the world and how memories transform with time. Fascinated by the processes of human meaning-making, he creates canvases of possibilities in which everyone can find their own constellations. Read today’s interview to learn more about the emerging Czech artist’s style and insights into consciousness, relativity, and perception of reality.

“I believe that I can open the closed doors of your soul.” Polina Revunenko, Ukrainian metalsmith and designer, unveiled a sliver of her magical inner realm for us in an interview. In her jewellery collections, she uses a special casting technique, which makes the resulting jewellery appear molten and crudely wrought, reminiscent of some sort of mediaeval or druidic cult insignia.

The fine-line illustrations of emerging artist Lorenzo Raimondo explore a realm where beings and flora intertwine into a unified whole. While some works depict more cognizable expressions, others showcase their creator’s masterful form in more abstract shapes, allowing everyone to connect their own dots. Read today’s interview to learn more about Lorenzo’s inspirations and plans for the future.

“Complexity isn’t always necessary for impactful design.” Being a Swiss citizen of Vietnamese descent, Duc Siegenthaler has been navigating the ebb and flow of blending in and standing out since childhood. SWARM Mag interviewed the founder and Creative Director of the Siegenthaler label about avoiding reducing modularity to “a gimmick”, constant self-discovery, indulging in play, and more.

Mossy, mouldy, earthy – all these adjectives give you a very rough outline of the garments the Copenhagen-based Solitude Studios craft and sometimes even grow and ferment. Their A/W23 collection, Wood Wide Web, hints at the recently popularised notion of “mycorrhizal internet”, the sprawling matrix of mycelium that connects fungi and various members of the plant kingdom, ferrying nutrients and other kinds of “information”.

Voidbug blends the inspirations she finds in science, fantasy, and vintage encyclopedias to map the inhabitants of the fairy realms. Join the artist on this journey of playful discovery, and let the fae help you re-find the purity and joy that often go amiss in today’s world.

In her artistic trajectory, Dan Yang’s works trace themes of ancient ancestry, spiritual transformation, and all that is uncanny. Through installations and objects, the Chinese multidisciplinary artist explores her mythic visions of the otherness of human bodies subjected to natural cycles that climax in apocalyptic decimation.

The goal of “bringing visions to life”, so essential and ubiquitous in the art world, is often hindered and challenged by compromises, most often on the technological and material side of things. But putting Susanna Pugliese's fantastical fashion sketches next to the near-identical final garments is a testament to her commitment to fulfil this goal no matter its labouriousness. Read on for the interview with the Italian-born fashion designer in possession of a wide range of artisanal skills.

Czech filmmaker and audiovisual artist Eliška Lubojatzká introduces two video poems: Dryaarisi and Zagovory. One after another, they lure us to into a semi-tangible, semi-transient landscapes that are explored and experienced by a dryad, and into a spell-casting phenomenon laden with Slavic folklore and verbal folk magic.

Form, movement, and materials are the tools of Diana Orving’s trade: the Swedish textile artist expresses herself through a dynamic interplay of techniques, material choreographies and animism to find the interconnectedness of all things and beings.

Olga Wieszczyk's intensely corporeal, borderline body-horror, and uncomfortably seductive illustrations feel like your eyes have been spellbound not to look away… or blink. In the interview, Olga shared with us her childhood fascination with the occult, dark Catholic themes, sombre Slavic folk tales and myths – and, clearly, manga.

The Czech ceramist and designer Johana Hnízdilová was always drawn to working with clay and making palpable art. Having studied illustration, she eventually abandoned screens for her passion, creating and finding purpose in manual craftsmanship, staying true to her own words: it is the needs of spirituality in today's rational world that I respond to in my work.

“My practice is a lot like my compost bin.“ Welcome to the ever-germinating and sprouting world of Beth Williams, a disabled designer and multi-disciplinary artist who specialises in knitwear, living textiles and soft sculpture. With the designer, we discussed their pivotal creative concept, Uzumaki's World, the use of innovative compostable yarn, striving to get one's voice heard in predominantly able-bodied fashion spaces, the immense power of community, and more.

Dominik Málek’s explorations of selfhood, binary opposites, and fantasy have led him all the way to the Světova 1 gallery, where he has recently presented his installation Jacuzzi of Despair. For today’s feature, we sat down with Dominik to learn more about his work, creative approach and inspirations to gain deeper insight into the mind of the upcoming Czech artist.

Anna Rusínová's pieces are reminiscent of amazing hybrids between fantastical marine flora and fauna or ancient artifacts wielding unseen powers. The Czech jewellery designer walked us through her chance life path to jewellery, imbuing custom pieces with the energy of their wearer, Ama pearl divers and more.

Aleksandra Blinova’s dedication to the craft of hand-making shows in every piece she creates, be it couture or jewelry. Her masterful insight shows not only in the success of her brand, but also in the way she crafts her words and answers. So dive into today’s interview with the fashion designer to find out about Aleksandra’s influences, symbolisms, and profound views of the future.

Based in Skopje, North Macedonia, the Ludus brand is recognisable by monochrome swaths of draped fabric with occasional subtle gradients and straightforward, crisp silhouettes inspired by timeless tailoring. SWARM MAG sat down with the brand's founder Dragan Hristov to chat agender fashion, unapologetical approach to design, nurturing inspiration, and Slavic textile crafts.

The aging body does not contain only one body. Rather, it is multiple bodies layered in time and decay, in memories and experiences. Figuring Age, a performance-installation by Boglárka Börcsök & Andreas Bolm interweaves the stories and memories of elderly dancers with their everyday gestures, postures and dance movements, tracing how three women changed their lives and movement practices to survive the sociopolitical shifts of the 20th century.

The garden as a symbol of life and death, a cycle that is taking on increasingly gloomy contours in the context of the environmental crisis. Slovak artist Kristína Bukovčáková paints the reality she experiences every day in her real and imaginary garden. It is hard not to sympathise with the protagonists of her toxic paintings, which will appear at the Livebid Originals contemporary art auction in November. How will it all turn out in Christina's garden in the end?

Iryna Drahun’s photography is inspired not only by the artist’s post-Soviet roots, but also her interest in AI-generated imagery. With such an augmented shutter, Iryna captures not only the tangible and natural, but also creates worlds of her own which seamlessly fit into her oeuvre. Read today’s interview to learn about her inspirations, creative decisions and views of the future of art in the era of artificial intelligence.