MEET ALEX VALENTINA, Q&A WITH H+ ROSTER ARTIST

Alex Valentina is a visual artist and designer whose work bridges nature and creativity, analog and digital. His practice blends 3D art with real photography, creating a universe of liquid synaesthesias and enchanting creatures.

Now based in Milan after time in London and Norway, Valentina explores the expressive possibilities of digital and physical elements, likening this creative process to unleashing a superpower.

H+: How did you first become interested in pursuing a career as a visual artist?

Alex Valentina: I feel I never really decided to become an artist. My path has never been linear with preset goals; I've always tried to do the things I enjoyed without getting too distracted. For me, it’s less about the end goal and more about how I feel while doing something. So often, I’d find myself asking whether what I was doing made me feel at peace, and that was enough of a guide for me.

I studied graphic design, but during my university years, I spent all my time playing music and mixing tracks. For many years, even though I was interested in the visual world, I didn’t put much energy into it. I was absorbing knowledge and input without really channeling it. Once music took a back seat, I began to immerse myself in the visual world fully, and what excites me about it is that it’s a space with a thousand facets, where you can do so many different things: illustration, 3D, photography, animation. This freedom to move in so many different directions really attracts and comforts me.

H+: You’ve lived in some interesting places from Norway to London and now Milan– how does your physical environment influence your digital creations?

Alex Valentina: The environment has always influenced me a lot, and within the word "environment," I also include the people in that environment and their lifestyle. So, for me, each of these places was a chapter that allowed me to experiment with my days, my habits, and I realized (maybe too late) how everything we do outside of work hours, simply by living, ends up in our work. Each place triggered different parts of my sensitivity. Living in the same place for too long isn't harmful, but it inevitably leads you to experience a specific range of stimuli, and after a while, if you get used to those stimuli, you also lose sensitivity, which in my opinion, is even worse.

H+: Can you share a bit of your history with blending these mediums? How has your aesthetic evolved over time?

Alex Valentina: I’ve always been intrigued by what I don’t know how to do. Once I get too comfortable with a tool, I tend to look around for something new.

I believe the greatest frustration comes when you can't translate your creative vision into the final output. My knowledge of various tools stems from the desire to get as close as possible to what I feel and want to create. Knowing how each tool works improves your aim, reducing the gap between what you imagine and what you can actually achieve. That’s why I’ve often found myself wanting to communicate through different mediums.

Additionally, when you're familiar with the tools, your mind tends to focus less on the technique and more on the vision/message. The idea start coming first, and the choice of tool becomes less important. For me, having a wide range of tools translates into greater freedom of action.

My aesthetic is instead the common thread. Regardless of the medium I use, there are always certain aspects of my aesthetic that resurface. Whether it’s illustration, 3D, photography or music, the fact that certain aspects of myself consistently return (for better or worse) reassures me. It’s easy to lose yourself or your identity when playing with so many different media.

H+: What do you hope visitors take away after viewing your work?

Alex Valentina: I'm a big fan of influences, how certain pieces can end up shaping the aesthetic and direction of other people or artists. Just as I'm influenced by the work of others, I hope my work can do the same for those who come across it. This silent exchange between creatives is what creates movements. I hope everyone can take from my works what they need, what resonates with them, and make it their own. Once I share a piece, it inevitably belongs to everyone and is no longer just mine. I strongly believe in this kind of exchange.

H+: What are three words you would use to describe your creative output?

Alex Valentina: Bucolic, Shiny, Full

H+: Your work has seen the pages of an impressive range of clients, including The New York Times, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and so much more. What has been one of your proudest moments in your career thus far?

Alex Valentina: Mm by nature I tend to downplay all my accomplishments. The ones I'm most proud of are those where, despite the client, I was able to stay true to my aesthetic and create something that wasn’t a “compromise.” Besides the projects you've already mentioned, which were great, I would definitely include the recent work I did for YouTube and Mailchimp.

H+: What other influences and inspirations do you draw upon in your work?

Alex Valentina: Mainly from the things around me, and more by how they make me feel than by what they actually are. I find inspiration in people I admire, in nature, in watching the water, diving into documentaries, and in the endless stream of images I see, whether online or hanging in galleries.

Nature and the aesthetic evolution of forms/patterns in living beings has always been my main source of inspiration - the colors, textures, and proportions. I have a deep admiration for it. From an aesthetic point of view, biology is incredibly competent, innovative and genuine.

H+: Any dream clients or collaborations you have in mind for the future?

Alex Valentina: Since my work almost always stays in digital format, I’d love to work on projects that also involve some kind of more tangible realization in the real world, like space setups or installations. I’d definitely also like to do a solo exhibition, where I can focus more on the overall narrative rather than the individual outputs. In general, collaborating more broadly and across different areas with fashion brands wouldn’t be bad either.

H+: What are your thoughts on parallel universes?

Alex Valentina: What fascinates me about theories is how they often reflect the general worldview of the historical period in which they were formulated. Theories developed in the 19th century were influenced by how humans perceived themselves during that time. You could take any historical period, even those from 5000 yrs ago (including religious beliefs), and you'd always find a reflection of how people perceived themselves at the time those theories were created. Probably, 2000 years from now, when analyzing these contemporary theories (including the ones about parallel universes), people will notice specific perspectives and sensitivities unique to the historical period we are living in.

The beautiful thing about the scientific process, though, is that once a theory is proven, it becomes law. Regardless of how it was reached or who formulated it, it remains constant and coherent. Physics doesn’t change over time; we just refine the way we explain it. The more we learn, the more we realize how little we actually know.

For more information on Alex's portfolio page!