· By Betina Genovesi
Clara and Gianpiero!
Another day, another story to share. This time, I bring an incredible human and artist! Since I started working with Clara, I’ve always been searching for references and inspiration to share with her. I don’t remember how Gianpiero appeared in my feed, but it was more than 5 years ago. I started following him and shared with Clara straight away.
We started seeing his artwork and talking about it. During the NFT boom, Gianpiero launched a project called In Betweneers, which was an incredible success. So I called a friend of mine who is a videomaker, paid him 300$ and made a video sharing about Clara and asking Gianpiero’s help to launch our own NFT project. This is one of those things that, when I think about it, I’m a bit ashamed.
We tried to meet when he was in LA, but it didn't work out. We became kind of online friends, following each other's steps, until we finally met for the first time in Florence, when he came to our event at Toscanino.
(Clara and Gianpiero in Florence, March 2026)
It was a big emotional moment for Clara and me. Throughout the years, Gianpiero always motivated me to keep dreaming and chasing it, even when the circumstances weren't there, and he always inspired Clara to be herself, to use colors and creativity to overcome the feeling of not fitting in.
Clara made an artwork for him, which is one of my favorites. It is his portrait with his iconic blue bear and a big tear that represents all the difficulties in life. Now this artwork is hanging in Gianpiero’s studio in Naples, what an honor.
On my way to Italy, I read the book by Gianpiero called “Disegni di Sogni” (Drawings of Dreams), and it was another wave of “don’t give up your dreams.” Now Carlo is reading it to Clara.
(Carlo reading Gianpiero's book "Disegni di Sogni", Milan, May 2026)
So this time we’re back in Italy, and we organized to come to Naples to meet Gianpiero. He was super busy in the middle of a product launch, yet he made time to welcome us with lots of love. My goal to bring Clara there was to inspire her that trhough art, her dreams can come true, that looking up to someone like Gianpiero that had all the reasons to just let the circunstances of life define who he is but he build his own path, following his dream of being an artist, Clara can also see that she has lots of opportunities and she can dream of having her own studio, of living her life to the fullest.
(Clara in Gianpiero's studio in Naples, May 2026)
(Clara, Gianpiero, and his portrait at his studio in Naples, May 2026)
We had a super nice lunch with Gianpiero and his wife, Rachele (she is super sweet), and we headed to his studio. Clara was more than happy. They sketched together, and the drawing he made became her first tattoo. Yes, guys, little Clara is growing. She has been talking about getting a tattoo ever since she turned 18, but she had some fear and never made her own drawing for it. After we returned to LA, she immediately called a friend who is a tattoo artist and asked all kinds of questions. Now, she is thinking about making her final decision.
(Maybe Clara's first tattoo?)
The next day, Gianpiero organized a guided tour of Naples for us with his friend Mario. We had a blast. Mario and Michelangelo guided us through a neighborhood called La Sanitá. This was a neighborhood controlled by the Mafia, and around 20 years ago, a catholic father came in and started to take action to change that. And he made it. Now, many churches that were once abandoned have become places where art is exhibited, which has brought the possibility of tourists returning, and, most importantly, young people now have different opportunities to grow and choose another kind of life.
(Michelangelo, Clara and Mario in our guided tour - Naples, 2026)
These two days in Naples were a big highlight in our lives. Thank you, Gianpiero and Rachele. We are waiting for you in LA, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.
Learn more about Gianpiero here
2 comments
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Thank you for sharing. What an exciting encounter ! Clara’s future remains so bright and inspiring. With love and appreciation, Anita from Virginia
Anita Jagt on
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Thanks for the update. Clara has a nice mix of friends in the creative world.
Bill Russell on
