Brooklyn’s New Rhythm

A warm conversation with Ivana, Rhythm Zero’s co-founder, on all the things we love: art, coffee and community building.

A coffee shop opened last year in the heart of Greenpoint. While walking around the neighborhood I was drawn to it by its beautiful interiors and the carefully curated art throughout. Soon did I realize that Rhythm Zero is more than another trendy cafe in the area, it is a new art hub, hosted by two passionate Serbians who are killing it with their inviting and inclusive space.

Photos Courtesy of Rhythm Zero

On Thursday June 8th we had planned to stop by to photograph the shop and its founders, Ivana and Alex, but with the unexpected Canadian wildfires that blanketed New York the previous evening, we decided to cancel and instead, we chatted over a zoom call where I got to lean the beautiful mission of the project and bonded with Ivana over entrepreneurship, our love for art and even our visa struggles in the US.

Alex and Ivana met in Serbia, Alex won the green card lottery, so Ivana applied and she won it too (it was definitely meant to be) so they moved to New York. Ivana’s mom owned a gallery in Serbia, so she’s always been surrounded by art. She studied Economics, but the thought of building a community around coffee and art has always been in her mind, especially because Alex is a big coffee aficionado and because the coffee culture in Serbia is very prominent. After a couple of years in the city, they decided to embark on this new project together.

Finding the right space in New York was as challenging as you can imagine, but after three months of an intense search, they finally found the perfect spot on Kent Street with white walls, high ceilings, and beautiful natural light. Alex runs the coffee and hospitality operations and Ivana curates the space with her exquisite eye for art and design. She also directs brand partnerships and activations.

“We are still learning day by day, with every single meeting, with every single conversation. I come from the finance corporate world, so dealing with art is something truly different, and each project is very unique.”

Alex and Ivana are very community-conscious, from the matcha they serve to the art they display, they source everything locally and they make sure they provide exposure opportunities to emerging artists and creatives. They recently partnered with Roya Shariat to raise funds for Cook For Iran with some sweet treats in the space.

It was a two-man show for the first six months, Ivana quit her corporate job and embraced this new lifestyle with lots of passion and energy. Now they are at a point where they are able to have help, allowing them to focus on other stuff, like art exhibitions and expansion. The growth has been significant, they are now being approached by huge brands and more established artists for collaborations and activations.

Ivana credits a great part of the success of the shop to the warmth of its hosts. Serbians are naturally warm people, and I can relate when she mentioned that it was a shock to see how in New York people don’t talk to each other. You can be in an elevator with your neighbor and not a word will be spoken. However, Greenpoint is really something special; the up-and-coming neighborhood is full of young creatives that are all about community and support. Alex and Ivana embrace the full concept of what we refer to “The Art Of Living” by bringing their true passions under one roof: their love for hosting, art, and coffee while providing a space for the local community to thrive in a different rhythm.

Although the name comes from Marina Abramovic’s acclaimed six-hour performative art show, there have been many different interpretations of what “Rhythm Zero” means. Some say that it is their starting point of the day, the stop before the first stop in their busy schedules. Some others attribute the name to the warm and calm feeling that transpires in the shop, kind of like being inside an inspiring oasis in the middle of the hectic New York rhythm.

The duo is currently working on a big brand collaboration that we can’t wait to learn about, new art shows are in the pipeline and new cities are on the horizon.