Nastassia Volkus
Nastassia Volkus (b. 1991, Minsk, Belarus) lives and works in Berlin. Her multidisciplinary practice spans textile design, garment-making, video, collage, drawing, and ceramics. She works primarily with found, recycled, and natural materials, approaching them not as passive carriers of form, but as agents of memory, resistance, and transformation. Nastassia explores ambiguity as a generative space, creating nuanced and temporally layered works that open a poetic conversation about the impermanence of identity and the ethics of interdependence.
UNWELL
We yearn to name our pain. Alopecia, Anhedonia, Emphysema, Rosacea, Dementia, Influenza, Amenorrhea – they sound like angry goddesses striking with pain and disease. Why is naming the pain so soothing? Is it more or less real after receiving a name? More tangible, legitimate. More pliable than a diffuse feeling of flesh disintegrating at a faster pace, than you would wish for. I keep thinking about how in ancient mythology, knowing the demon’s name gave you power over it. In the beginning was the Word, I guess? My unwellness is clearly visible: it is on my skin. No mysterious spleen-deficiency or hidden heart error, but white dry scales on my elbows, red hot areas on my fingers and palms, uneven face complexion with red and black spots. Am I supposed to feel lucky that my illness is only affecting the skin, or is it just a preview of the damage and irregularities hidden underneath? My labs are fine. I take vitamins: B1, B3, B6, B9, B12, Omega 3 EPA and DHA, 23 of the most important lactic acid and bifidobacteria with 20 billion reproducible microorganisms per capsule, D3 and K, Zinc and C, Magnesium with L-Tryptophan 30 minutes before the desired sleep time. I am considering supplementing with Quercetin or Spirulina to counteract the MAST-cells activation. It can also be beneficial to take a deeper look into the mechanisms of IL-17, Treg-cells, Th17, macrophages and dendritic cells. Nettle tea and chamomile tea have proven to reduce the histamine load. I decided against the EGCG because it might have conflicted with my green tea consumption. Dandelion leaves, but especially roots support liver and bile activities. I decided to forgo supplementing with Melatonin, although it significantly helped me with falling asleep. I am passionately devoted to hormones and neurotransmitters. I examine my bodily fluids daily and draw conclusions. My days are a race against inflammation. I try to avoid the bad stress and bestow as much good stress on me, as I can handle. The division between good and bad is important, if not very clear. I try to relax and to be in the moment, really. I do hate the moments a lot, though. I plan to live to 90 at least. It soothes me on the days when my life seems especially meaningless and aimless. If you were around long enough, you must have done something right.
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