Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elina Volk Kinetshniy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Elina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is Project Lethe. It’s an ongoing art and narrative endeavor that combines my fascination with mythology, psychology, and the darker aspects of human nature. Project Lethe explores themes of identity, memory, and the blurred line between victim and survivor, encapsulating stories of forgotten children and their struggle for recognition and justice.
The idea was born from my lifelong connection with mythology, particularly the River Lethe in Greek lore, symbolizing forgetfulness and the loss of identity. It resonated deeply with my own feelings of displacement, having grown up in multiple cultures and never fully belonging anywhere. The project’s children—victims of an experiment that stripped them of individuality—mirror my exploration of what makes us human and the strength required to reclaim our sense of self.
Project Lethe began as oil paintings and graphite illustrations, but it has grown into something much more: a story world that combines visual art, written narrative, and planned exhibitions. I’ve poured my own experiences into the work, such as my observations on society’s tendency to dehumanize others, my background in psychology, and my reflections on the interplay between light and dark in human nature.
This project is deeply meaningful to me because it represents both my personal and artistic journey. It’s a way of reclaiming the narrative for the voiceless. Every piece I create for it feels like a step toward expressing truths I couldn’t articulate otherwise, and it’s a project I envision continuing to grow alongside me.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m Elina/Volk Kinetshniy, a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and psychologist with a deep fascination for the intersections of identity, human psychology, and the subconscious. As an asexual, aromantic, and genderfluid individual, much of my work is influenced by my personal experiences and my desire to explore and challenge societal norms. My art often centers on themes of transformation, identity and the fluidity of the self.
My creative journey began in childhood, surrounded by stories of war, survival, and displacement shared by my grandparents. Coming from a family marked by the Greek, Korean, and Russian experiences of war and exile, these histories have profoundly shaped my perspective. The subconscious and dreams have also been central to my life and work, as they offer a rich language for expressing what often cannot be said outright. These themes permeate my writing, visual art, and photography, creating a mixture of interconnected disciplines that inform and inspire each other.
My first foray into visual art was my solo exhibition Lucifer, My Dear, a series of portraits inspired by Jeffrey Dahmer. It was an exploration of morality, the misunderstood, and the deeply unsettling aspects of humanity—a bold and transformative experience that solidified my commitment to visual storytelling. My paintings often depict androgynous figures in surreal, dreamlike settings, blending realism with mythology to evoke a sense of disconnection and wonder.
Photography has been a lifelong passion. From an early age, I collected vintage cameras and used them to document the world through my own lens. My photographic work took on a larger scale when Marcel Schlutt offered me the opportunity to showcase it in his magazine, then called Honk! and later rebranded as KALTBLUT. This platform allowed me to experiment, refine my style, and reach an audience eager for bold and unconventional perspectives.
My written work reflects another facet of my interdisciplinary approach. After earning a BA in psychology, I pursued an MSc in criminology and criminal psychology, and I am now working on a PhD exploring serial killers. This academic background has profoundly influenced my writing, particularly in my poetry and non-fiction. My poetry frequently explores morality, and the subconscious, while my academic work examines the darker corners of the human mind, often serving as a foundation for creative storytelling.
What ties my work together is a shared focus on the unseen—the shadows of identity, memory, and the psyche that linger beneath the surface. Through multiple mediums, I aim to bring these elements into the light, offering a space to confront and explore the complex and often uncomfortable truths of the human experience. My work is not confined to a single discipline because neither is life; it exists as a continuous conversation between art, science, and the soul.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
The driving force behind my creative journey is the desire to both express and discover myself while challenging the boundaries of what is considered normal or acceptable. Art, for me, is not just a means of communication—it’s a way to provoke thought, to question societal norms, and to cross boundaries that confine identity, morality, and creativity. Through my work, I strive to create spaces where the uncomfortable, the misunderstood, and the overlooked can be seen and felt.
At its core, my mission is deeply personal: to explore and understand myself in all my complexity as an asexual, aromantic, and genderfluid individual with a fascination for the subconscious, dreams, and the darker aspects of human nature. But it’s also universal. I want my art to resonate with others, to provoke them to question their own perceptions, and to find connections in places they might not have expected.
My creative journey is a continuous process of breaking through—through societal expectations, through my own fears, and through the limitations placed on expression. Whether it’s through painting, photography, or writing, I aim to uncover truths that are raw and real, and in doing so, to find a deeper understanding of both myself and the world.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
One moment that truly illustrates my resilience was my first solo exhibition, Lucifer, My Dear. The series was inspired by Jeffrey Dahmer and explored themes of morality, good and evil, and society’s inherent hypocrisy. While I was confident in my vision and the message I wanted to convey, the controversial nature of the subject drew significant backlash. Many misunderstood my intent, believing I was glorifying a criminal, when in reality, the work was meant to provoke critical thought about how we judge others and ourselves.
Art, for me, isn’t confined to portraying positivity or comfort—it’s a medium to question, to challenge, and to confront the complexities of human nature. Through my studies in psychology and criminology, I learned to approach people and topics with as little bias as possible. This perspective has been liberating, allowing me to explore the darkest corners of humanity with curiosity and compassion rather than judgment. I wanted this exhibition to reflect that mindset, to raise questions about the duality of good and evil and to examine society’s often hypocritical tendency to condemn while ignoring its own flaws.
The response was polarizing. While some people appreciated the depth and intention behind the work, others reacted with hostility, unable or unwilling to separate the subject from the broader questions I was raising. It was a challenging experience, but it reaffirmed my belief in the power of art to provoke, to make people uncomfortable, and to spark dialogue.
That exhibition solidified my commitment to creating work that is unafraid to push boundaries and address difficult truths. Resilience, in this context, wasn’t about overcoming self-doubt but about standing firm in the face of misunderstanding and criticism, staying true to my vision, and continuing to create with the same uncompromising honesty.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elina-room.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.l.i.n.a.213/
Image Credits
Elina/Volk Kinetshniy, Amanda M. Jansson