’89 domande a Valentina Hites – Art Director and Model
How old are you? 29.
What’s your job? Art and Creative Director.
What did you study? Journalism and Advertising and Marketing Communications at FIT.
What do you think about cloning? Would you get cloned if you had the chance? I love the idea. Honestly, two versions of me would probably drive everyone even more insane, as if one wasn’t already enough. But seriously, cloning bodies wouldn’t clone instinct, taste or intuition, and that’s the part that really matters.
If you were a character of a movie which one would you be? Amy Dunne from Gone Girl (kidding).
Since it is one of the few elements that cannot be contaminated by artificial intelligence, do you think the real life of the artist will return to the center of the stage, becoming itself the true work of art? Yes, totally. AI can replicate images, styles, even moods, but it can’t replicate lived experience. It can’t copy mistakes, contradictions or consequences. I think real life will matter more than ever, and at some point the life itself becomes the artwork.
Do you think killing an ant is the same thing as killing a dolphin? No, of course not. I’d feel way worse about the dolphin. I love animals, and yes, I’m fully aware that makes me a hypocrite. Ethics aren’t perfectly symmetrical, they’re emotional.
In your opinion, is it right that states exist, or would you prefer a world united under one flag? I like that states exist. The idea of one authority giving orders to everyone sounds exhausting. I prefer people moving toward what fits them best.
Is it right in your opinion to place limits on immigration? Yes. Especially when it comes to criminals. Reality needs structure.
What’s the best work you did? That’s impossible for me. I’m a Virgo. I love a project for about one millisecond and then I hate it. I’m very perfectionist.
The most appreciated one? Probably an editorial using Tom Ford’s archives for Gucci.
What is your work that you are most attached to? Why? The ones I don’t get paid for. That’s where I’m myself, without limits.
Can you tell us an anecdote behind one of them? In one editorial I was surrounded by eight male models dressed as construction workers. I felt like the Bonnie Blue of fashion, which is funny because I’m actually quite prudish.
Can you tell us something about you that nobody knows or very few people know? I love going to sleep at 9 p.m. and I’m pretty antisocial. I’m a friendly introvert, very introverted–extrovert.
Do you think Hegel was right to put music above other arts? I get what he meant, because music goes straight to the nervous system, but I don’t think it’s above anything. Images can be just as emotionally violent, they just work slower. Music hits you instantly, visual art haunts you.
Can you give us a definition of art? Art is something completely unnecessary that somehow becomes a necessity. You don’t need it to survive, but once it exists, it changes how you see everything else. And after that, you can’t really go back.
Your favorite style icons? Anita Pallenberg, Veruschka, Mick Jagger, Jane Birkin, Françoise Hardy, Brigitte Bardot, Marianne Faithfull, Charlotte Rampling, David Bowie.
What’s your best talent? Dancing hip hop.
If you could speak in world vision for 15 minutes what would you say? Fuck antisemitism.
What is your motto? Taste over noise.
Do you think aesthetic value is objective or subjective? Both. Taste is subjective, but not everything is equally good. Some things just work, even if people pretend they don’t know why.
If you could have a super power what would you choose? To be invisible. I’m very observant, and being in the right place at the right time without being seen sounds perfect.
When can you define a person as an artist? It’s a gut feeling, a sixth sense. You see it and something happens inside you before you can explain it. They just have a certain sensitivity.
Do you think the relationship between art and drugs is just a cliché? Not really. Druggy people have always been cooler and more aesthetic. I admire them from a very safe distance.
What drugs have you done? I hate drugs. I’m anxious and very healthy in that sense. I tried ecstasy and amphetamines once, in the snow, and it was the worst experience of my life. I didn’t sleep for 48 hours and got stuck there. Never again. Marijuana 2 times per year is nice.
If so which one is your favorite? If pharmaceuticals count, Rivotril and Lexapro. Prescribed.
And which one do you use more often? None. I really don’t like drugs.
Are you in favor of the liberalization of soft drugs? Honestly, I don’t care. People can do whatever they want.
And hard drugs? Same answer.
Do you have any political orientation? I hate extremes and hypocritical people.
How many people have you slept with in your life? Few. Numbers are boring.
What is your favorite position in sex? Confidence.
The most handsome guy you know? I don’t know his name. I saw him on a motorcycle, my friend and I followed him, and then he disappeared forever.
What about the girl? Women from the 70s. That kind of beauty doesn’t exist anymore.
Do you think believing in God and not believing in God come from the same presumption? Yes. Both are positions toward something we can’t really know. Even atheism requires a leap of faith.
In your opinion is there such a thing as unnatural? Not really. Humans are part of nature, even when we pretend we’re not. Everything we create comes from that contradiction.
If you were not in your profession what would you do? Acting.
If you could go back in time and kill a person who would it be? Hitler.
Do you think man’s life has meaning? Yes, but not in a romantic way. Meaning comes from responsibility, not happiness.
Can you tell us the most interesting anecdote with drugs? The snow trip. Not sleeping for two days, being stuck there. Never again.
The time you did drugs the most, what did you take and in what doses? Never really. One time was enough.
What do you think people say about you? They either love me or hate me. I’m not for everyone, and I’m fine with that.
Blur or Oasis? Oasis.
Can you tell us when a person is cool and when they are not cool? Someone is cool when they don’t know they’re cool. The moment you try, it’s over.
If you had to tell someone to fuck off, who would it be? Nobody. I’m not a hater.
What’s your favorite artist? Francis Bacon.
What’s your favorite show business character? People who disappear before becoming a parody of themselves.
If you could choose which historical era to live in? The 1970s. Everything felt freer, messier, more human.
If you could spend a day with a historical figure? Patricia Highsmith.
Who are the people that inspired you the most? The icons of the 70s, people who lived without over-explaining themselves.
If you could choose a famous person for a night? Lenny Kravitz.
What do you like most about Italy? Taste. Effortless taste. You can’t fake that.
And one you don’t like? How dysfunction is sometimes romanticized instead of fixed.
Do you think it would be correct to create a place where man can live in the state of nature? Only if responsibility comes before freedom. Otherwise it’s just chaos.
What’s the topic you are most expert in? Right now, hair. After having mine burned once, I understand exactly how it works.
Have you ever been in love? Yes.
Have you ever had a homosexual experience? No.
Where do you live? Between Miami and Paris.
Which neighbourhood? St Germain and Downtown Miami.
Where are you from? Chile.
Other cities where you’ve been living and how long? New York, six months, and I ran away.
Which languages do you speak? Spanish, English, and a bit of French.
Favorite movies? Eyes Wide Shut, Gone Girl, The Shining, Irreversible, all David Lynch films, The Night Porter, The Game, Basic Instinct.
Favorite directors? David Cronenberg, David Lynch, David Fincher, Brian De Palma, Wes Anderson, Gaspar Noé, Stanley Kubrick.
Favorite bands? The Rolling Stones, Air, Massive Attack, The Velvet Underground, The Beatles, The Libertines, Oasis.
A famous band you don’t like? It’s not a band, but Taylor Swift. I don’t get the hype.
Favorite songs? “Heroes” by David Bowie, “Walk on the Wild Side” by Lou Reed, “Into My Arms” by Nick Cave.
Do you feel envy? Rarely. It’s a waste of energy.
The quality you would like to have and don’t have? More patience.
What do you think about influencers? Some are editors of their own image, most are just billboards.
Favorite historical character? People who lost but stayed honest.
Can you define yourself with an adjective? Precise.
If you were an animal which one would you like to be? A panthere.
What time do you usually go to sleep? Early, way earlier than people expect (between 9 and 10pm).
What time do you usually wake up? Earlier than I want to (6am).
What’s your favorite city in the world? Paris.
Do you believe in religion? I believe in curiosity.
Do you have some phobias? Fruits. I cant, i smell them I vomit.
Favorite fashion brand? Ysl, and Mcqueen (himself).
How important is it for you to be rich from 1 to 10? 7. Freedom matters.
And fame? 5. Useful, not essential.
How important are fame and money to impress a partner? Not very. Intelligence matters more.
And what about beauty? It fades fast.
And intelligence? That stays.
Do you consider yourself smart? Smart enough to doubt it.
An advice you can give to someone that wants to do your job? Develop taste and protect it. Everything else can be learned.
Best party you’ve been to? The ones without photos.
Do you know someone being a real racist? Yes.
Do you think that if people couldn’t post on Instagram about it, they would take part as well to social movements? Obviously not. 90% of them are fake and attention seekers.
What do you think about the existence of royal rulers for birthright? Absurd, but revealing.
What’s your best talent? Reading people.
What are the clothes you can’t stand to see on a man and on a woman? Anything that looks desperate.
Can you tell us a number from 1 to 89? 36.
Your ideal holiday? Unscheduled.
If you could choose someone to follow you on Instagram who would you choose? Someone who doesn’t care about Instagram.
Do you think that in certain environments, especially those with fame and money, there is a lack of values? Values are harder to fake there.
Does the current concept of democracy make sense to you? In theory, yes. In practice, it’s fragile.
What do you think about the psychological profile of politicians? Mostly ego disguised as service.
What do you think about cancel culture? Is performative and Hypocrite.
Would you ever kill someone to fulfill a desire? No desire is worth a life.
Is rock and roll still alive? As an attitude, yes.
What do you think about ChatGPT and artificial intelligence? A mirror. It reflects who we are.
Do you think it could be the closest proof of the divine? No. Proof of human ambition.
What do you think is the biggest problem of artificial intelligence? We ask it questions we should ask ourselves.
Can you try to imagine what someone will look like in fifty years? More connected, less present.
If you could choose a person you know to read this interview, who would it be? Someone who thinks they already know me.
