ADE Editorial: No Art’s vision is built on trust and risk
words by Meike Jentjens
No Art's success hasn’t gone unnoticed. But it does raise a question: can you build an empire without giving anything up?
To understand No Art, you have to zoom out. Before the sold-out festivals and lifestyle branding, there was ANOTR, the house duo whose rise in the Amsterdam scene gave the group a reason to bet on something bigger. When ANOTR started gaining international traction, three inseparable friends, Bora Güney, Ruud Boymans, and Omid Kahali, decided to turn their shared momentum into a collective vision.
They didn’t start with a business plan, not at all. See it as continuous chats. After a year, chats became a company called SONA Worldwide, the event production company the three now run together. No Art became its flagship concept: music-forward, art-infused (explains the ironic name), and entirely self-financed. 'We were best friends first,' Boymans says. 'That’s what made it possible. We trusted each other, so we just went for it', he adds. Bora Güney adds: ‘It was just us. We didn’t want anyone interfering with what we felt. And we still don’t.’
'We might not have done it'
'It was a gamble', says Omid Kahali. He explains how the trio went all in and invested their own money, leaned on instinct, and accepted that the only way to build something big was to build it themselves. 'It’s probably a good thing we didn’t realize how bad the numbers were at the time,’ Boymans admits. ‘We might not have done it. But we had to show people what No Art as a festival could be.’
What they showed was a production-heavy, hyper-visual experience that felt closer to a contemporary art installation than a typical daytime event. Mirrors, stretched fabric, immersive lighting, sharp silhouettes: their early aesthetic left a lasting impression on their new-found community, and quickly gave them a visual language to expand with. SONA kept their business internal, reinvested what they could, and slowly built a team, tightened the logistics, and turned what started as a risk into a working system.
No Art's success hasn’t gone unnoticed. But it does raise a question: can you build an empire without giving anything up?
To understand No Art, you have to zoom out. Before the sold-out festivals and lifestyle branding, there was ANOTR, the house duo whose rise in the Amsterdam scene gave the group a reason to bet on something bigger. When ANOTR started gaining international traction, three inseparable friends, Bora Güney, Ruud Boymans, and Omid Kahali, decided to turn their shared momentum into a collective vision.
They didn’t start with a business plan, not at all. See it as continuous chats. After a year, chats became a company called SONA Worldwide, the event production company the three now run together. No Art became its flagship concept: music-forward, art-infused (explains the ironic name), and entirely self-financed. 'We were best friends first,' Boymans says. 'That’s what made it possible. We trusted each other, so we just went for it', he adds. Bora Güney adds: ‘It was just us. We didn’t want anyone interfering with what we felt. And we still don’t.’
'We might not have done it'
'It was a gamble', says Omid Kahali. He explains how the trio went all in and invested their own money, leaned on instinct, and accepted that the only way to build something big was to build it themselves. 'It’s probably a good thing we didn’t realize how bad the numbers were at the time,’ Boymans admits. ‘We might not have done it. But we had to show people what No Art as a festival could be.’
What they showed was a production-heavy, hyper-visual experience that felt closer to a contemporary art installation than a typical daytime event. Mirrors, stretched fabric, immersive lighting, sharp silhouettes: their early aesthetic left a lasting impression on their new-found community, and quickly gave them a visual language to expand with. SONA kept their business internal, reinvested what they could, and slowly built a team, tightened the logistics, and turned what started as a risk into a working system.
'It's not luck'
What started as a side project has since grown into a tightly run machine, with No Art sitting alongside other in-house concepts like Wavy, for a younger audience, and international editions of their events stretching from São Paulo to Istanbul. Some are launched by the team themselves, others come from abroad or from close collaborators. But the line remains clear: 'if it doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t run.' The tone is serious. 'We always go on feeling first,' says Güney. 'Of course we do market research, but we don’t book anything just to fill a slot. We look at each other and decide: do we believe in this or not?'
From small shows to big energy
That philosophy extends to how they work with artists, across both No Art and SONA. The team often builds with talent over time, starting small, testing chemistry, and developing trust on both sides. ‘It was 2023 when we first booked &ME for a show at Lofi in Amsterdam,’ says Kahali. ‘It clicked from both sides. After that, we started producing bigger shows for Keinemusik.’
A similar trajectory followed with PAWSA and Dennis Cruz, artists who later became part of larger SONA events like GOLFOS. It’s not just about star power, though. ‘We have a personal connection with them,’ Kahali adds. ‘That matters to us.’ What visitors see is a wider SONA program that still draws a shared crowd, because the audience feels the same continuity between the shows. Even outside bookings, like their collaboration with Circoloco, are chosen with care: names and crews that align with their values, their energy, and their way of working.
Staying rooted
Despite the commercial sheen and lifestyle positioning, the team has made an effort to stay rooted in their city. Before each edition of the No Art Festival in Flevopark, SONA Worldwide hosts 'Synergy', a free day of live performance and art installations for city pass holders, refugees, local residents, and families. 'If you take up space in the city, you should give something back,’ says Boymans. 'Not just for image. For real. That’s always been part of our mindset.’
The response has been strong. Thousands of neighbors attended last year’s edition. For some, it was the first time stepping into this kind of space. For others, it was a point of connection. 'We don’t just want to serve the crowd that can afford it,' says Kahali. 'We want to grow a scene; not a VIP list.'
'It's not luck'
What started as a side project has since grown into a tightly run machine, with No Art sitting alongside other in-house concepts like Wavy, for a younger audience, and international editions of their events stretching from São Paulo to Istanbul. Some are launched by the team themselves, others come from abroad or from close collaborators. But the line remains clear: 'if it doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t run.' The tone is serious. 'We always go on feeling first,' says Güney. 'Of course we do market research, but we don’t book anything just to fill a slot. We look at each other and decide: do we believe in this or not?'
From small shows to big energy
That philosophy extends to how they work with artists, across both No Art and SONA. The team often builds with talent over time, starting small, testing chemistry, and developing trust on both sides. ‘It was 2023 when we first booked &ME for a show at Lofi in Amsterdam,’ says Kahali. ‘It clicked from both sides. After that, we started producing bigger shows for Keinemusik.’
A similar trajectory followed with PAWSA and Dennis Cruz, artists who later became part of larger SONA events like GOLFOS. It’s not just about star power, though. ‘We have a personal connection with them,’ Kahali adds. ‘That matters to us.’ What visitors see is a wider SONA program that still draws a shared crowd, because the audience feels the same continuity between the shows. Even outside bookings, like their collaboration with Circoloco, are chosen with care: names and crews that align with their values, their energy, and their way of working.
Staying rooted
Despite the commercial sheen and lifestyle positioning, the team has made an effort to stay rooted in their city. Before each edition of the No Art Festival in Flevopark, SONA Worldwide hosts 'Synergy', a free day of live performance and art installations for city pass holders, refugees, local residents, and families. 'If you take up space in the city, you should give something back,’ says Boymans. 'Not just for image. For real. That’s always been part of our mindset.’
The response has been strong. Thousands of neighbors attended last year’s edition. For some, it was the first time stepping into this kind of space. For others, it was a point of connection. 'We don’t just want to serve the crowd that can afford it,' says Kahali. 'We want to grow a scene; not a VIP list.'
This ADE, SONA is making a statement. Not with a flashy takeover or branded campaign, but with twelve self-produced shows, spanning their full range of concepts. From No Art's ADE Festival on ADE Saturday to GOLFOS (Dennis Cruz & PAWSA) on ADE Sunday, or the younger-skewing Wavy with GORDO all night long that starts at the end of No Art Festival, every target audience gets their own moment. The scale is unprecedented for the team. They’ve moved their core weekend to a new venue called 'Taets Art and Event Park' overlooking Amsterdam's river, where they’re building out a full festival setup, complete with two stages under a black-box structure. Unfortunately, the trio can't tell us anything about the lineup just yet – of course.
A bigger canvas
‘It’s four times as big as last year,’ says Ruud Boymans. ‘But we’re still doing it on our terms, without sponsors. Just a bigger canvas.’ The challenge isn’t lost on them. They’re aware of how the industry is shifting; how costs are rising, how expectations change, how easy it is to burn out a brand. But for now, they’re still building the same way they started: close-knit, self-funded, and a little bit chaotic. Sure, maybe one day they’ll take the call. But for now, this isn’t about the offer. It’s about doing it their way, with, of course, DJ duo ANOTR.
So for now, the five of them are still building the same way they started: close-knit, self-funded, and a little bit chaotic. ‘It keeps us sharp,’ Kahali says. ‘If it gets too easy, we’re probably doing something wrong.’
Curious to hear how No Art is doing it?
ADE Pro has added the No Art team, alongside ANOTR, to this year’s Conference lineup. Their session follows the announcement of ADE Pro’s central theme: Empowering the Independent Artist & Entrepreneur.
