My conversation with Ukrainian artist Si Golraine is not to be missed. This heart-opening episode begins with her spiritual journey of healing from various physical ailments, which ultimately led her to a path of holistic learning. This journey transformed her life and introduced her to metaphysical and spiritual knowledge that she incorporates into her life and art practice in such an inspiring way. We also dive into the origins of her unique art-making process, where she channels electrical currents through her brushes to “paint” on sheets of titanium, creating a remarkable fusion of art and metallurgy.

Si Golraine (born Olga Panchenko) is a Ukrainian-born multidisciplinary artist based in New York City whose work bridges spirit, science, and art. Her practice centers on applying raw electrical voltage to titanium. Through this medium she explores energy, consciousness, and healing - transforming elemental forces into vibrational fields of color.

Raised in eastern Ukraine, Golraine studied classical piano for eleven years. After receiving a Future Leaders Exchange scholarship, she relocated to the U.S., eventually moving to New York to pursue interdisciplinary arts. Her path later became self-directed in response to the war in Ukraine and its impact on her family.

She is also half of Sestra Kuya, an experimental sonic-visual duo that in 2025 invented and engineered the transmission of fluctuating electrical voltage into both color and sound. In their system, electricity is applied to titanium sheets creating shifting fields of color while simultaneously being routed into modular synthesis to generate sound - merging scientific process with spiritual presence in a living fusion of art and energy.

Golraine is the recipient of a Staten Island Arts Premier Grant and the international Creative Climate Award, where her work received first prize by a panel that included Stanford University. Her practice has been shown with Visionary Projects (NYC), Red 225 (Nashville), and Human Impact Institute, among others, and has been featured in Staten Island Advance.

sigolraine.com

@si_golraine

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Credits: Special thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island⁠⁠⁠⁠ for our podcast theme music!

Support this podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support⁠⁠

I have a special episode for you today with visual artist Shuling Guo. In this episode we hear about her incredible story going from a very traditional, small village in Southern China, and her triumph against a very dominant patriarchal culture structure, to go to art school in Beijing, and ultimately to the United States to pursue her artistic path. We learned about her spiritual influences from the women in her life and how that set the stage for her artistic journey.

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Guo graduated from the Oil Painting Department of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing (B.F.A.) in 2010. She moved to the United States in 2019, and currently lives between Philadelphia and aboard the Sailing Vessel Selkie. In 2012, she had her first solo exhibition in Beyond Art Space in Beijing. Since then, her work has been exhibited in New York, Beijing, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Platform Art.

Her works have been included in the permanent collections of Central Academy of Fine Arts Art Museum (Beijing) and Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (Guangzhou). Her work has been selected to appear in New American Paintings, 2025 Issue 172.

Mindy Solomon Gallery

Shuling's Instagram

Follow Martin Benson for more insights:

*To stay updated on the podcast and related content, check out ⁠⁠⁠my Instagram⁠⁠⁠

*To support the show and access exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (link above).

Credits: Special thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island⁠⁠⁠ for our podcast theme music!

Support this podcast: ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support⁠

In this episode I have an inspiring and fascinating conversation with visual artist Nika Fontaine. We dive deep into her personal history and her exploration of identity and spirituality. We talk about alchemy, transformation, and the ways in which art can become a vehicle for self discovery and ego dissolution.

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Nika Fontaine, born in Montreal 1985, lives and work in Berlin and Villalonga, Spain. She received her master of fine arts degree from the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee in 2013 and subsequently engaged in a post graduate research project funded by the Elsa Neumann Stipendium in Berlin. Her works have been exhibited in North America and largely across Europe. Her works are part of the Royal bank of Canada, Deutsche Bank and City of Laval collections as well as over 100 private collections. In 2010 she co-founded the T10 artists studios in Berlin and in 2019 the organization Aurigin in Berlin and the first Aurigin Center in Spain in 2021. She is currently founding a tokenized real-estate startup to facilitate the acquisition of properties for communities and educational projects. Her artistic and social engagement are working hand in hand to inspire holistic living.

@nikafontaine

@aurigin_center

www.aurigin.org

www.nikafontaine.com

Follow Martin Benson for more insights:

*To stay updated on the podcast and related content, check out ⁠⁠my Instagram⁠⁠

*To support the show and access exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (link above).

Credits: Special thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠The Sometimes Island⁠⁠ for our podcast theme music!

Support this podcast: ⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support