The Faces – our heroes of the month

Valentino Vivace – That’s Amore

Campari Spritz instead of mulled wine. Sockless loafers instead of lace-up skates. And Valentino Vivace instead of “Winter Wonderland”. The Ticino native has dropped his debut album “Meteoriti”, and suddenly every day feels like a vacation in Rimini, where the pinball machine beeps and the ocean waves crash. A new generation enters the dusted-off Italo disco, and the singer welcomes them with his canzoni con cuore and plenty of groove.

Cogey Marx – Insta Karma

When that bastard Mercury is retrograde again and the moon is hanging around in Aries, there’s only one consolation: @cogey on Planet Instagram. Their retro-styled videos look like a Don Draper fever dream. But the Mad Woman parodies the astrology and self-care hype on social media in an adorably funny way. The Californian’s career is under a good star – our third eye is wide open and her lips are grinning broadly.

Chet Lo – Horny

The young designer from NYC is pulling off quite a crooked trick here. And that’s exactly what makes the horned knitwear from Chet Lo such an eye-catcher. His candy-colored creations look like the knitted sweaters of a very hip alien race. But the latest “Splash” collection is also being celebrated on our blob in space, including by celebrity fans such as Lizzo and Doja Cat. His second litter is now in the works. We think it will be great!

Shirin Neshat – Eyewitness

The world opens its eyes, but Shirin Neshat has been looking for a long time. In the 1990s, the Iranian showed the oppression of women in her home country with the series “Women of Allah”. From then on, the photographer and director returned to this theme. Shakes things up – with a gentle hand. In Neshat’s new film “Land of Dreams”, the protagonist travels through Iran to record people’s dreams.

Chris Smalls – Union? Check!

In 2020, Chris Smalls was fired from Amazon as a warehouse employee. Two years later, he achieved what others had been pressing “add to cart” in vain for so long: Together with other activists, he founded the first trade union within Amazon at his former place of employment. Since then, Jeff Bezos has been sleeping a lot worse. As the figurehead of the Labor Movement Renaissance, Smalls’ work for greater employee protection has only just begun.

Mykki Blanco – Pride of Rap

Since Mykki Blanco, hip hop can no longer be spelled without “LGBTQ”. As a pioneer of audible and visible queerness in rap, the musician, artist and activist has moved mountains and filled in gaps. The native New Yorker celebrates her serious concerns with a dirty glamor. And on the new album “Stay Close to Music” with prominent support from R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe and poet Saul Williams.

Sebastian Hotz – Word Knight

I see. There is also a real boi behind the mullet profile picture, which has been firing out many of the best and funniest social criticisms on social media for years. This should be clear to everyone by now at the latest. Sebastian Hotz, the real name of the satirist in Chief of Internet, has written a book. “Mindset” is just as pointed and biting as El Hotzo’s two- to four-liners. Just with a lot more lines.

Preet Chandi – Captain Cool

She takes every challenge in her stride. Last January, Preet Chandi reached the South Pole after 40 days and 1,100 kilometers – alone, on foot, with a 90-kilo sled in tow. Did the British armywoman need to cool down after completing an ultramarathon across the Sahara two years earlier? It’s all just a warm-up for her next adventure: Chandi wants to be the first woman to cross Antarctica solo.

Casper Van Dien – Final Boss

Cheese me, daddy! At the height of his Hollywood career, he chased aliens in “Starship Troopers” and swung from a tree as Tarzan. Then Casper Van Dien disappeared into oblivion – and is now reappearing from a pool of melted cheese. In the Swissploitation film “Mad Heidi”, he waterboards dissidents with fondue as the despotic President of Switzerland and apparently has the most fun of his career.

Mia Goth – And Action!

The year is 2040. Mia Goth takes to the Academy Awards stage to accept her fifth Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Will she thank us because we were the first to prophesy it? Maybe. No matter. Because what the actress and screenwriter is currently delivering in cult films such as “X” and “Pearl” are enigmatic performances that are rarely seen in a generation. Hollywood’s definitive millennial Streep.