TOUGH LOVE:
Two Founders & Italy

The two of us grew up together attending the same school in Milan. We parted ways for university, experiencing the world through multi-cultural lenses, having both studied in Washington D.C. and London and having undertook study abroad programs in Melbourne and Hong Kong. Living around the world allowed us to explore a wide range of cultures, values and social norms, helping us gain a more inclusive and didactic approach to creativity, and exposing a different observational approach to our country. 

 

We both reunited after our undergraduate studies where we talked about realizing our shared vision: to create an innovative, accessible and inclusive ‘house’ for artists in our own country, Italy. We love Italy: it’s beautiful traditions, its staple-culture and its passionate people. However, we sensed a gap, a struggle to showcase global issues and an intimidating environment for international artists wanting to be a part of the Italian creative community. As we reflected on our experiences and global perspectives during quarantine, we decided to birth NO ISSUE’s first issue: our limited edition coffee table book composed of works from a broad range of artists, musicians, photographers, designers, video-makers and writers from all over the world. Together, we aim to chronicle and capture social issues through creative perspectives.

Carlotta Bianchi is a video director and multi-media artist who recently graduated from The Bartlett School of Architecture with an MA in Design for Performance & Interaction. Born in Milan, she graduated in Management at Cass Business School in London, during which she undertook a study abroad in Hong Kong. Moving and living between Milan, London, Hong Kong and New York helped Carlotta understand the potential of bringing innovation and open-mindedness to her native country, alongside her aim to create a more inclusive and sustainable approach for the creative industry in Italy. Carlotta currently freelances in the spheres of film, design and education to communicate current social dialogues and globally relevant themes. She is also on the London hub committee for Oceanic Global, where she leads the Oceanic Global Film Festival, an initiative she co-founded with the aim to explore film as a medium to educate on the current environmental crisis.

Audrey Etro is both Italian and American. In 2019 she graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in Anthropology and Fine Arts. Living around cities such as London, Melbourne, New York, and LA, Audrey’s desire to change the outdated social structures in her native country (Italy) grew exponentially. Her vision to kaleidoscope and deconstruct existing social issues in Italy through the use of art became concrete especially when coming to terms with the lack of space and opportunities for emerging artists in Italy. She is distinctly keen on promoting gender equality in her country, which she believes still has a long way to go. Audrey recently left her life in LA where she was working in the entertainment industry to work for a highly esteemed Landscape Architect in Milan.

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