The Leggy Hot Beauty Whom Damien Hirst Opens The Car Door For
Actress, London
When you’re a model, actress, and girlfriend to art star Damien Hirst, dressing the part is part of the game. Luckily, 25-year-old Katie Keight doesn’t seem to have any shortage of effortless style and charisma. The leggy, dark-haired hot beauty has garnered attention from tabloids and art worlders alike after appearing on red carpets in stunning ensembles like a jewel-encrusted Alexander McQueen suit worn sans blouse. We caught up with the chic Londoner to discuss art, fashion, and everything else.
My ideal working outfit looks like…
Dark and Classic. In acting class I want to feel really confident, and when I am well put together I feel powerful. I like to mix tailored with baggy. (Check out Katie Keight’s look at Damien Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery Opening).
Heels or flats…? Which brand or style…?
Flats. I love heels but I feel like my feet weren’t made for them. In my modelling days come 3pm I would be hobbling over to the photographer in the next look. I favour Adidas kicks or Converse and Topshop, Prada, Miu Miu and Maison Margiela. I like my feet to distract me.
My favourite art-related blog/app is…
I don’t tend to read blogs but my friend Georgina Cohen brought The Art Gorgeous to my attention. It has turned me onto many up and coming artists as well as established ones and talented art ladies doing their thing.
This is a still taken from one of the Lenticular pieces I did with photographer Derrick Santini. The series is called ‘ In Your Mind’.
The last thing I bought and loved was…
I bought a children’s road and city map mat (to drive toy cars over, you know) and some gold bullion tassels from eBay that I’ve sewed along the sides so that it’s now à la Persian rug. When I was in my first year at school our teacher would get us all to sit on the road map mat and tell us to close our eyes and we would pretend that we were flying all over the world on this magic carpet. I opened my eyes once and was I so upset that we were still in the class room. Anyway, I’m very nostalgic.
My personal style signifier(s)/identifier(s) is/are…
There will be a statement something. Statements and Staples. I like contrast, I like to turn a look on its head.
My necessary extravagance is…
Food. I believe London has the best food. For on the go and to sit down with. And taxis. It’s sickening.
Three things/products I always need to have in my purse…
Plasters for my Achilles heels – I enjoy walking around London but I enjoy fashion too. A small notepad and pen, to jot down any ideas for writing. When I’m sitting having a coffee or something I might find myself eaves dropping on a conversation close to me, it’s great for ideas. Sometimes you hear something and you think ‘oh that would be a brilliant scene in a film!’ I encourage anyone that wants to write to do the same. A spiritual or self-help book. At the moment it’s true home by Thich Nhat Hanh. A book of Buddhist wisdom. I need to be armed with a book that is nourishing and grounding to combat my overthinking and quivering self-esteem.
My ultimate beauty secret after long working hours…
Shutting off. We feel and therefore look our best when we are relaxed. I can obsess over my day and turn a good day into an ok day and an anxious evening. It’s a shame and it’s pointless. Save it for morning, enjoy your time off.
My favourite work(s) of art is/are…
The albums Revolver, The White Album and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band by The Beatles.
In the art world currently I find most exciting that…
Newport Street Gallery in London has just opened showing Damien’s personal collection. He’s very fortunate / admirable he’s got himself into a position where he gets to celebrate and curate art as well as create it. The space is stunning.
The most sexist art person is…
Picasso.
Spot(s) I am off to…
Thailand, Morocco and LA are on the horizon.
My next art trip/travel will be…
I’m really looking forward to visiting some artists’ studios over the next few months. It’s inspiring and you walk out of them a bigger fan. Some of the studios we are going to check out soon are Takashi Murakami, Jeff Koons, and Mark Manning.
The most arty city is…
Paris is the one.
The perfect art-world gentlemen is…
Damien Hirst, because he always opens my car door and lets me have music control.
Artist(s) we should have on our watch list is/are…
Martin Eder is a painter from Germany and he’s astonishing. Dan Colen is a conceptual artist from New York, he makes paintings with chewing gum and sculptures of drunk Scooby Doos. Helen Marten makes awesome conceptual art, she’s British and her work is hard to pin down. Alex Israel from New York is exciting, I get a kick out of his work. And British artist Tanya Ling, I started out as a fan and fast became a good friend.
Katie Height Instagram: @katiekeight
Photos: by Katie Keight and Chase Wolcott
