Carine Valette
INTERVIEW
Poet & Visual Artist
DATE: 28 ⁄ 03 ⁄ 2026
EVA & CARINE
“Living half of my time in Valparaíso shows me how privileged the place is where I come from, and how we should be more conscious of that in Europe, so we could change some of our consumption habits.”
PARIS
YOUR IDEAL WAY TO START YOUR DAY?
I have a lot of ideal ways to start my day, some of them are: To look out the window, put on a swimsuit and go for a swim before even having breakfast. Making love isn't bad either, or putting on leggings and joining the Yiengar yoga workshop of my teacher Leticia Catalan facing the Pacific Ocean. When staying in my parents’ house with my brothers is to play with my nephews.
WHEN DO YOU FEEL CREATIVELY MOST FULLFILLED?
More than a result, I feel truly creatively fulfilled when I have the time to spend several days or even several weeks immersed in the studio or in a manuscript, without having to devote time to anything else.
HOW DO MOVE THROUGH MENTAL OR CREATIVE BLOCKS?
Walking is generally a valuable ally, but so is reminding me of my deepest motivations. Resuming our coaching sessions from your 10-week career mentoring program helps me a lot with that. About that I've just created my vision for this year 2026 by revisiting all the vision exercises you gave us during your mentoring sessions.
WHAT DOES GROWTH MEAN TO YOU?
For me, growing up means rising spiritually. And that requires facing my darkness, embracing my fears, and opening the door wide. Because nothing can withstand the light. It's painful, but very effective for growth. It is also to be aware of the different realities of human being’s lives. Living half of my time in Valparaíso shows me how privileged is the place I come from and how we should be more conscious of that in Europe, so we could change some of our consumption habits.
WHAT RESOURCES, TOOLS AND PRACTISES WORK FOR YOU TO SUPPORT YOUR GROWTH?
Walking, yoga, writing poetry, journaling, reading a lot of sociological, historical and political, philosophical or esoteric writings. I've also been in therapy every week for years. After six years with a French psychoanalyst, I've just started therapy with a Chilean psychoanalyst and astrologer. It's very enriching to combine the two disciplines at the same time.
And of course, conversations with those who know me well and remind me who I am. Sometimes I lose confidence, from moving so much and being in perpetual search can be very exhausting! I'm also listening to a lot of podcasts about mental health at the moment. And one thing my best friend told me recently that made sense to me and that I want to keep in mind from now on is my humor, like any good French person, a little dark sometimes, but that's precisely the excellent remedy for the global gloom that can quickly become suffocating.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?
I often read several books at the same time. My evening reading isn't the same as my morning or afternoon reading. I love starting with poetry. Right now I'm reading La Lumière du Monde by Christian Bobin; it's wonderfully beautiful. This book gives me extraordinary strength and hope for life.
I also just finished reading Francesca Pollock's book Mon Pollock de père, the daughter of painter Charles Pollock and niece of Jackson Pollock. It's a fascinating book about the archiving of her father's entire oeuvre and the relationship between the two brothers. I had the opportunity to interview her yesterday, so I read her book to prepare for the interview.
Generally in the afternoon I read more political books. For the past 3 years I have been conducting in-depth research on the history of European colonization in Chile from the 19th century onwards to understand the contemporary issues and consequences of this and to question my roots and the history of my family, who left France to settle in the South of Chile at the end of the 19th century, unfortunately on a territory that a few years earlier had been stolen by the Chilean State from the Mapuche people.
In the evening in bed I like to read a good novel. At the moment I am reading 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, in the original Spanish version.
“For me, growing up means rising spiritually. And that requires facing my darkness, embracing my fears, and opening the door wide.. ”
CARINE VALETTE
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
I don't know if it's the most important thing, but what truly makes me proud is my poetry and the impact it can have on people. More than proud, I'm moved when someone comes to see me after a reading or a performance, or writes to me after reading my book to tell me about the effect my writing had on them.
I'm also deeply moved, and it's a kind of pride, when, for example, I visit my exhibition in Valparaíso and find a Brazilian woman or an elderly Basque gentleman moved to tears by one of my works that speaks of what we leave behind when we migrate to a new country. That's what keeps me going: the power that artistic and poetic creations have to connect us to one another.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
I'm preparing my new series for the special portfolio I'll be presenting in April during Art Month, organized by our collective of women artists, Le Cercle de l’Art. It's an ambitious project that allows my current and future collectors to acquire my works in 12 monthly installments and receive their piece in the first month. The Financial Times published an article about this project, created by Margaux Derhy, because thanks to the sum of these monthly payments, we each generate a regular and fixed monthly income. That's rare for emerging artists!
The series I'm working on starts with film photographs I take during my walks on the beach, which I then process into metal engraving and lithography and combine with other techniques such as writing, embroidery, and cyanotype.
WHAT INSPIRES YOUR CURRENT WORK?
This new series is inspired by my regular walks on the beaches of the Arcachon Basin and those of the Valparaíso region, where I live, create, and spend my time. I find great peace observing the ocean and discovering elements of nature with absolutely marvelous forms, but also a quiet anger and deep sadness at seeing how plastic has invaded all the beaches. I very often leave with a large amount of trash. It's my way of finding inspiration and regenerating myself while also being an activist. I strongly believe in the theory of balance between giving and receiving, and this is one of my ways of putting it into practice.
WHAT CHALLENGE(S) ARE YOU CURRENTLY FACING?
It's not easy living between two countries as far apart as Chile and France. Not to mention all my ties to Barcelona, where I lived for six years until 2021. It's difficult emotionally, and it's also very difficult professionally. The art and literature world operates largely through networks, and you have to be visible, and not just on social media. Not being fully rooted in a region or city makes you less visible, and collaboration opportunities may be less frequent than for an artist based locally who has built daily relationships with local people.
I really became aware of this two years ago when I started to truly settle in Valparaíso. It's so far away that it's difficult to go back to Barcelona for a performance proposal or a poetry reading in Marseille or Paris. At the moment my performing arts network is very limited in Chile and I terribly miss being on stage! This generates a lot of frustration, but I'm actively working on it.
HOW WILL YOU OVERCOME THIS CHALLENGE(S)?
I realized I need to spend as much time in France as in Chile. At one point, I thought I would travel to France once a year for two or three months, but that's not enough. I need to be in Europe for six months a year, professionally but also to recharge with my family and long-time friends. Although I inherited a certain Chilean culture from my grandmother, my roots are in France, and I want my artistic career to be as firmly established in Europe as it is in Latin America. As for performing in Chile, I've just been invited by a gallery. I'm so happy about it!
Little by little, the bird builds its nest. I love this proverb; it's so true and reminds us how patient and consistent we need to be in our actions.
“I'm very excited about this major investigative project in Chile... I've received support from several institutions, such as the French Institute, and an invitation from the Museo Regional de la Araucanía to exhibit in 2026 . ”
CARINE VALETTE
YOUR MORNING AND/OR NIGHTTIME RITUALS?
I am a tea lover. A Japanese green tea in the morning that reminds me of freshly cut grass and my childhood in the countryside, and in the evening, a relaxing infusion. I can't go to bed without it.
YOUR FAVOURITE WELLBEING / SELF-CARE PRODUCTS?
I'm a big fan of creams and serums; I love massaging my face. I always start with rose or orange water, then in the morning a vitamin C and hyaluronic acid serum. Next a hydrating BB cream, and if I'm going out, I put on SPF 50 sunscreen. A few drops of oil in the evening and an hydrating cream.
WHAT RELAXES YOU? HOW DO YOU CALM YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM?
I just spent Christmas in France with my family and visited some longtime friends. I haven't spent Christmas in France since 2020. Sometimes, in my crazy dream of succeeding in changing the world, which is too violent, into a more just and poetic one, I forget that it's essential to stop sometimes and simply enjoy the people I love. So I would say that what relaxes me is spending time with my lover, my friends or my family.
ONE THING YOU WOULD LIKE TO INCORPORATE INTO YOUR DAY / WEEK?
Yes three things! I do a lot of yoga, but I'd like to start strength training. I recently learned that it's really important for women over 40 because we lose a lot of muscle mass with age. I want to remain independent for as long as possible, so I need to establish a routine now.
I'd also like to swim more often. In Valparaiso, there are swimming groups in the Pacific Ocean. I want to take a few lessons first and then join one of them! I'd also like to get back into a regular writing routine. I've become so immersed in printmaking and my visual art that I've kind of forgotten about regular handwriting. I need to get back into a discipline, which is difficult for me!
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE?
In the near future, I'm very excited about this major investigative project in Chile, which is really starting to take shape. I've received support from several institutions, such as the French Institute, and an invitation from the Museo Regional de la Araucanía to exhibit in 2026.
In the more distant future, I look forward to this far-right wave being swept from power and from the minds of those who believe closing borders is a solution. I think the coming period will be very complicated, and we'll have to hold firm, but what we're building, especially women and environmental activists, will be a great step for humanity. I hope so, and I truly want to believe it.
“I think the coming period will be very complicated, and we'll have to hold firm, but what we're building, especially women and environmental activists, will be a great step for humanity. I hope so, and I truly want to believe it.”
CONNECT WITH CARINE:
@carinevalette ⁄ CARINEVALETTE.COM
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