Anastasiia ◜Nastia◞ Stefaniuk

LAVA 
97 × 123 cm 2022–2023 … was the first tapestry I wove in Antwerp.
My first year after the displacement. I carried too much with me.
This work became a place to put it. I kept thinking about volcanic eruptions.
How something so violent can create new land. How the most fertile soil is born from ash.
How skin heals after being burned.
How people try to rebuild themselves. Layer by layer. This tapestry is that moment.
 A warm thank you to @vanasschelies and @doek.textile.platform for welcoming me when I needed the space to work, and to my loved ones for the support behind every tapestry.

My first group exhibition in Lviv, Ukraine is on view till 8th September. Please visit @jamfactory.artcenter for more info. The prologue to the exhibition «In memory of the one who keeps the memory» is the life and creative practice of Alina Lamakh, a Ukrainian artist known for her tapestries and her role as the compiler of the legendary The Book of Schemes, written by prominent Ukrainian Sixtier Valerii Lamakh. The story of Alina Lamakh, reinterpreted by curators Maria Lanko @marielanko and Lizaveta German @giza_lerman , prompts reflection on displaced identities, hidden lives, and (artistic) means of bringing them back to a common space. “In Memory of the One Who Keeps the Memory” also critically examines gender, national, and genre stereotypes and the hierarchies that dominate Ukrainian and world art. Exhibition architect: Kseniia Bilyk @bilyk_ksenia Artists: Alina Lamakh, Valerii Lamakh, Tereza Barabash, Mykhaylo Barabash, Library of Visual Phenomena (Olga Gaidash, Eugene Shimalsky), Ksenіia Bilyk, Kateryna Bilokur, Geta Brătescu, Anna Daučíková, Lucy Ivanova, Saodat Ismailova, Gulnara Kasmalieva and Muratbek Djumaliev, Alevtina Kakhidze, Volodymyr Kuznetsov, Pavlo Makov, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Ada Rybachuk and Volodymyr Melnichenko (ARVM), Anastasiia Stefaniuk, Stanislav Turina, Bozhena Chagarova, Mark Chehodaiev.

LAND 90 x 150 cm 2022 The unfinished tapestry had to travel twisted on the loom from Kyiv to Antwerp after russia started its brutal full scale attack on my homeland in 2022. It got to me in April one year ago, carefully packed by my ex-colleague Pavlo at the very start of my residency at @wpzimmer . I unpacked the piece on the floor in a beautiful spacious room. It was a huge relief to have a temporary place of my own for couple of weeks. Crawling on the tapestry, I sat on my knees, bowed my head and started crying like I have never cried before. A despair, a prayer, a blessing… My work is my diary. Layers and layers of thoughts are visualized in colors and textures. 11 months of life are gathered in this volume.

Zo ongeduldig aan het wachten op Atelier in beeld dat we met Kunstletters live al een voorproefje organiseerden bij @nel_bonte . 👀 Sculpturen die hun oorsprong vinden in strijkparels, weven als daad van verzet en een beeldend universum in zwart-wit: @nel_bonte , @an____stef en @simon.clercq deelden een blik achter de (on)rust in hun werk. Zelf binnenkijken bij kunstenaars? Dit weekend is er Atelier in beeld. Ontdek meer dan 1.700 werkplekken waar je langs kan gaan via atelierinbeeld.be. Deze Kunstletters live werd georganiseerd in het kader van Atelier in beeld. Met de steun van @loterienationaleloterij krijgen Belgische kunstenaars de kans om hun werk op een toegankelijke en laagdrempelige manier te tonen aan het brede publiek, op meer dan 1.700 locaties in Vlaanderen en Brussel. (ENG) We were so impatiently waiting for Atelier in beeld that we organised a sneak preview with ‘Kunstletters live’ at Nel Bonte’s studio. 👀 Sculptures inspired by iron-on beads, weaving as an act of resistance and a visual universe in black and white: Nel Bonte, Anastasiia Stafaniuk and Simon De Clerq offered a glimpse behind the (un)rest in their work. Want to take a look inside artists’ studios yourself? This weekend is Atelier in beeld. Discover more than 1,700 studios you can visit via atelierinbeeld.be. This Kunstletters live event was organised as part of Atelier in beeld. With the support of @loterienationaleloterij , Belgian artists are given the opportunity to showcase their work to the general public in an accessible and inclusive way, at over 1.700 locations across Flanders and Brussels.

Radical Softness in Antwerp : @micki_chomicki_gallery @an____stef Thanks for the foto : @lorevennix . . #contemporarytextileart #textilsculpture #bauhauswomen #textileart artinantwerp

No caption, just looks

One more post from the opening in Antwerp on Saturday 🤩🤣 🙏🏼🥂✨with 4 of the 6 artists from the „indoor show“ 😉 that were able to make, plus the gallerist Micki Chomicki, and yours truly representing The Wall, outdoors. @micki_chomicki_gallery @utak7 @helenepicard @tatumkempers @an____stef (from left to right - I marked everybody but... - who knows 🥴🤣). And a shout-out to the two artists who were unfortunately not able to be there in person, @marianna_the_un @wabisabistar #radicalsoftness #fabrication #mickichomickigallery #artinantwerp

‘A gesture to gather what’s left and give it a new meaning’ Visiting ‘Kyiv Biennial 2025 – Homelands and Hinterlands’ at @mhkamuseum with @nastya_nastia_nastja . A sharp, moving look at how war reshapes memory, territory and solidarity across ‘Middle-East-Europe.’ The show confronts erasure and displacement while imagining how we might rebuild connections beyond borders. Video by @yentldebaets 💕 The exhibition is free for @differentclass.be members until closing on 11.01.2026. #differentclass #mhka #mhkamuseum

I used to delete rejection letters the same day they arrived. Now I weave them into fabric. Each letter carries a trace of who gets seen, who waits, who keeps making anyway. The words “unfortunately” and “regret to inform you” once felt heavy. But now they hold the tapestry (and me) together. Some words bruise, others become thread. If we turn failure into material, does it stop being failure? Rejection Letter 60 x 35 cm 2025

The smell of fallen leaves in autumn. The subtle feeling of nature falling asleep. This season always reminds me of my weaving process. Slow, layered and transforming.

Nothing replenishes my energy better than a walk in nature. Especially, in my favourite season! Got inspiration for a few next tapestries.

Each of these photos deserves a separate post, but I was very bad at posting all summer: 1. ZIJspoor expo 2. TC2 loom 3. Pierre and TC2 loom 4. My parents in Antwerp 5. June, the cat 6. Zhora’s BD 7. Neighbourhood 8. Coo 9. Badminton 10. Rotterdam 11. Saskia 12. Gent 13. Sasha and art 14. Mr. Zookeeper 15. Birthday lunch 16. Marseille