Artist Interview | Cristallina Fischetti

In this episode of Who Arted?, host Kyle Wood sits down with multidisciplinary artist Kristalina Fischetti. Fischetti, who also runs the arts‑focused podcast Hype A, announces her first institutional show in two years, “Alchemy,” housed in the historic Marlebone Church in London from April 23 through mid‑May. The venue’s personal connection—her childhood neighbourhood and even her GP’s office downstairs—adds a layer of intimacy to the exhibition. By placing abstract, ritual‑driven paintings within a sacred space, she invites viewers to experience art as both visual and spiritual practice.

Fischetti describes her studio routine as a physical ritual: incense, candlelight, and the constant motion of laying canvas on the floor. She incorporates unconventional substances—red wine, Colombian coffee, turmeric, even her own blood—to embed cultural memory and therapeutic symbolism into each layer. This practice birthed the term “abstract medicine,” a concept she coined in 2020 to frame her work as a form of alternative therapy. The tactile process, from stapling frames to squatting while painting, mirrors her background in dance and yoga, turning each canvas into a performative healing act.

The artist cites a lineage that spans Hilma af Klint’s spiritual abstraction, Helen Frankenthaler’s silk‑stain color fields, and David Hammons’ urban found‑object assemblages. Her Sicilian roots, Colombian heritage, and even an 18th‑century ancestor, painter Fedele Fischetti, inform the palette and material choices. By weaving these influences with her own ritualistic methods, she creates works that feel both historically resonant and personally alchemical. “Alchemy” offers London audiences a chance to witness this synthesis, while the Hype A podcast extends the conversation, amplifying under‑represented voices across the global art community.