The shortlist signal. Artist RADAR #9

Artist Radar: 3 promising artists not to be missed from our Ask Kurt Picks: Tobias Izsó, Oľga Paštéková, and Ophelia Arc.

This week we share Tobias Izsó, crafting tactile intersections of sculpture, installation, and photography; Oľga Paštéková, whose paintings and interventions probe memory, ecology, and myth; and Ophelia Arc, exploring digital and installation practices that blur material and virtual space.

Distinct practices, vivid inquiries, these are the artists on our mind in Radar #9.

Artist Watchlist: Tobias Izsó, Oľga Paštéková, and Ophelia Arc.

Tobias Izsó – Sculpture, Installation & Photography from Vienna

Vienna-based artist Tobias Izsó (b. 1997) works at the intersection of sculpture, installation, and photography, crafting tactile pieces from wood, textiles, leather, and found furniture.

Read Tobias feature here and get an in depth take on his work

His recent solo show Off the Cuff at Christine König Galerie highlighted the poetic tension between body, object, and domestic familiarity.

Izsó’s approach combines craftsmanship with conceptual rigor, referencing both classical carpentry and contemporary visual language.

Tobias Izsó photo of a potato ling on a chaise lounge — **Tobias Izsó:** Artwork „Kartoffelbild“ from the series „nourish & cherish“, 2021 | Image Courtesy of the Artist

Through assemblage, he reconstructs emotional topographies, where chairs hold ghosts, cushions become thoughts, and texture is theory.

On view also at this years **Vienna Contemporary 2025:** **Tobias Izsó** with **Christine König Gallery**

Follow his evolving material inquiries via his exhibitions and Instagram presence.

Tobias Izsó, art, installation. red cabinet with glass front with potatoes and onions inside — **Tobias Izsó:** “Brutkasten“ from the series „nourish & cherish“,2021 | Image Courtesy of the Artist

Q&A:
How does Tobias Izsó reshape domestic objects through art?
By blending traditional woodworking and textile techniques, Izsó transforms everyday furniture into sculptural assemblages, redefining intimacy and form.

wooden wall sculpture of household items — **Tobias Izsó:** | Off the Cuff KOENIG2 by_robbygreif, Wien 2024 Foto: Simon Veres. Image courtesy the artist.

What themes define his current artistic direction?
His work explores metaphysical perception, emotional memory, and the role of personal space, linking objecthood with philosophy..

👉 Dive deeper into Tobias Izsó’s work and recent shows. Read his feature on Munchies art club.

Oľga Paštéková – Painting & Textile Installation from Bratislava/Vienna

Oľga Paštéková (b. 1984) works between painting, large-scale works on paper, and textile installation.

Read our feature on the artist to find out more about Pastekova and her world.

Her practice is rooted in eco-poetics: stains, bleaches, and graphite scratches conjure wolves, ravens, rivers, and ghosted figures, where nature becomes a co-author rather than a backdrop.

Based between Bratislava and Vienna, she studied painting at VŠVU and at the Akademie der bildenden Künste in Vienna under Daniel Richter.

A wolf and carousel horse confront each other in a dreamlike arena where play teeters on the edge of menace and myth. — **Olga Paštéková***: In Wonderland*, mixed media with firepainting on wood, max. 200 × 150 cm, 2019. *Photo: Richie Studio.* Image courtesy of the artist

Her recent projects include Whispering Waters at Art Quarter Budapest (2022) and Parallel Vienna (2025), situating her at the forefront of contemporary Central European art.

A lone wolf figure leans into being, scratched and stained into presence, both fragile outline and haunting shadow — **Olga Paštéková***: Rotkäppchen*, mixed media on wood, 70 × 50 cm, 2014. Image courtesy of the artist.

Follow her spectral worlds through exhibitions and her Instagram presence, where rivers, wolves, and textiles become fragile shelters.

Q&A:
What draws her most into working with these spectral figures and animal presences?
They open a space where ecology and myth overlap, where her figures carry both memory and survival into view.

olga pastekova stadın infront of 3 of her artworks — **Olga Paštéková**: With her friends, Paštéková stands beside *From Dusk Till Dawn* / 220 × 123 cm, acrylic–airbrush on canvas, 2023. Image courtesy of the artist.

How does her practice shift between painting and textile installation?
Each medium acts as a language of atmosphere: on canvas through stains and scratches, in textiles through fragile shelters that seem to breathe.

👉 Dive deeper into Oľga Paštéková’s work work and recent shows. Read her feature on Munchies art club.

Ophelia Arc – Installation and Digital Media from Queens, New York

Ophelia Arc creates expansive installations and digital assemblages that link myth, speculative futures, and shifting identities.

Deep dive into Arcs work, read her full article.

Her practice moves between sculpture, code, and immersive environments, proposing alternative ways of inhabiting both material and virtual space.

Exhibitions across United States shows her ability to merge narrative and technology into atmospheric worlds.

Ophelia Arc immersive installation merging digital systems, mythic storytelling, and light to create speculative futures in contemporary art. — **Ophelia Arc** builds an archive of flesh-toned fragments, each obsessive stitch mapping trauma as texture. *Wo(und)mb study (detail) | Hand-dyed yarn, crochet samples, fragments.* Permission and Courtesy of the artist

Follow her immersive visions through exhibitions and her Instagram presence, where myth and light meet digital systems.

Contemporary digital media artwork by Ophelia Arc exploring identity, networks, and immersive installation environments across Europe. — **Ophelia Arc** ruptures satin into wounds, weaving repair and harm into fragile balance. *Harm and repair dependency cycle (intro).* Permission and Courtesy of the artist

Q&A:
What drives Ophelia Arcs current work?
Arc examines how myth and speculation can merge with digital form. Her work seeks futures built from fragments of past and present.

How does technology influence her installations?
Code and digital media serve as material as much as light or stone. They extend her installations into layered, networked landscapes.