Est. New York, 2003 · Independent
23 Years of
Cultural
Dialogue.
The conversations that shape culture rarely happen in the places you're told to look. We've been finding them since 2003.
Origin
"The inspiration was always behind the scenes, with the people you rarely hear about."
The most important cultural conversations aren't happening where you think. They're not in the magazine editorials, Art Basel, or the blue-chip gallery announcements.
They're happening in studios, after-parties, and corners of the internet where people are connecting on topics and themes that actually matter.
Leila Antakly started this platform in New York — then called ninu nina — while working as an editorial assistant at Italian Vogue. She saw it immediately: the real energy wasn't on the page. It was in the dressing rooms and backstage corridors. In the conversations between make-up artists at 2am. In the ideas being passed between model agents at the Mercer, or fashion assistants trading notes at Pastis, or photographers' assistants talking over each other at opening nights in Chelsea.
The gatekeepers were limiting what everyone could access. The creativity was being filtered before it could breathe. That's how these conversations started — and that's why they've never stopped.
Through interviews, we bring you access to today's most compelling creators — artists working at the intersection of creativity and social change. These aren't superficial trend pieces. They're deep dives into the ideas shaping our world, told through the perspectives of people living them.
Our Approach
Together we scope and explore.
We listen, and we ask.
It's intentional.
Leila built a community of contributors — cultural observers — because cultural change is collaborative. The best insights come from multiple perspectives, not a single editorial gate.
In a media landscape dominated by algorithms and continuous advertising, we are a space where substance matters more than reach. No corporate sponsors dictating coverage. No commercial pressures shaping editorial decisions.
Just thoughtful storytelling, editorial freedom, and a commitment to the voices that need to be heard and shared. We focus on artists at the intersection of creativity and social change — independent, under-recognised, essential.
We are not interested in what's trending. We're interested in what's true. And over 23 years, we've learned that those two things are rarely the same.
Editorial
Independence above everything. Always.
Voice
The overlooked, not the over-covered.
Depth
Conversations, not content.
23 Years · Selected Milestones
A Conversation That
Never Stopped
From New York editorial rooms to galleries in Berlin, Milan, London & beyond.
After 23 Years
The work expands
beyond the page.
As a result of two decades navigating creative culture, we also work directly with artists, collectors, and institutions who need a guide.
A Personal Note
"I started these conversations because I was tired of culture being translated by people who weren't really listening. Twenty-three years later, that hasn't changed. Neither has the reason I keep asking."
Founder & Editor · Antakly Projects
New York → The World · Since 2003