EP69 Music, Mushrooms and Russia - Irene Antonez

Irene Antonez is an artist and musician from Russia. Through her music and art she celebrates sensuality, emotionality and the beauty of nature and the microscopic world. Her family roots are Cossack which are a semi-nomadic and semi-militarized people from the steppes of Ukraine and Russia. So in Irene’s family tree there are Russians, Ukrainians and Lithuanians. We discussed the situation in Ukraine, how that affects her family and relatives on both sides of the line, how they were taught at school in Russia that there should never be a war again but also how the messaging over the past 7-8 years has been changing with the rise of nationalism. And we talked about Russophobia that has been present and now is amplified by the War. Mushrooms are a big part of Irene’s universe and art expression and she explained to me how advanced these organisms are and what we could learn from them as humans. And then we talked about her music and how Cossacks and Vikings might be connected historically. Irene has an art exhibition in Pragovka in Prague from the 9th of June 2022, check her links below for more https://www.instagram.com/irene_antonez/ https://www.instagram.com/irene_antonez_art/ https://www.facebook.com/ireneantonezz https://www.facebook.com/ireneantonezart