Alex Valentina

Alex Valentina

Alex Valentina is an eclectic artist exploring the performativity of the digital as a medium of expression. Liquidity is not only a choice of aesthetics but an attitude to delve into the possibilities of the digital towards self-expression through sounds and drawings. Life forms bloom from Valentina's creations: nature-driven floral motifs which lively inhabit the liquid form of digital devices we experience them from.

How would you define your artistic self and your eclectic art?

Defining myself and especially my art is still a challenging thing for me. I would love to ask you how you would define me, if this wouldn’t defeat the whole purpose of the interview :)
I am not a fan of explanations accompanying art. Each person should see in it what resonates with them. However, to go back to your question, here are some words that I feel close to what I do: nature driven, naïve, pattern-obsessed, close, tiny life forms, sparkling, DNA, genuine, bucolic, blended flora, something that reflects like a mirror.

When did you mature an attraction for digital art?

For me "digital" is a medium just like any other. I have always been drawn to the visual world in general. Years ago, I was almost exclusively drawing with pencil and paper. I would say becoming a digital artist wasn’t a calculated decision, I was assimilated organically in the technological landscape of this generation. If I were to pinpoint specific moments in my life that accelerated my interest with the visual world, this would be the timeline:
My dad drawing many animals on paper for me when I was a child.
My carpenter grandfather allowing me to play with wood and sticks.
Learning PS designing album covers for my teenage music projects and those of my friends.
Collecting too many old books and magazines
Observing water

How do your visuals and music dialogue? Digital sounds - digital images share the same nature somehow.

That's a question I get a lot. I think that everything we create reflects a part of us. The medium may change, but the starting point remains the same. It's like painting a picture with different brushes.
Both music and visual arts have been a part of me for as long as I can remember. I have a more formal relationship with visual arts—I have studied them, they have been a part of my daily life. Music is more visceral, less controlled, harder to contain. It leaves for certain periods of time and then comes back to haunt me.

There are certainly parallels in the two processes. The same almost pathological obsession with details, a focus on technical execution, and above all, making the same mistakes over and over again.
At the same time, switching mediums and tools forces your brain to understand what you want to say and how you want to say it. It helps me avoid getting stuck.

How have you developed your own visual style?

I'm not sure, it happens through living and following the dopamine, whether it's from places, people, or fantasies. My visual style is an extension of myself; I project who I am, and once I see it out there, I recognize myself better too. I think to myself, "Alex, this is you. This is what you like." I often feel like connecting numbered dots to form a figure. It helps to better understand what I’m made of, which is constantly changing, influenced by an external magnetic field that continuously shapes me. I enjoy allowing myself to be transformed, like water that maintains its composition but can change its form.

What’s your dream music set taking place and how would you recommend to experience your sounds?

My dream music set would be intimate, max 20 people in a small space. I would love for there to be a pleasant scent in the air.

As for experiencing my sounds, I don't have any specific recommendations. Make it yours, detach it from me and transform it into your own soundtrack, your own projections.

 
 

interview ILARIA SPONDA

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