From Strategy to Art – The vibrant world of KATJA NAGEL
Katja Nagel is a Greek and German artist, born in Munich and raised in Athens. She is the type of woman, and high-profile executive, who sold her Porsche to dedicate herself to Art. As a Doctor in Business Administration, and founder and managing director of the renowned change management consultancy “cetacea” for 18 years, she is advising with her team the top management about corporate culture shaping, management enabling and people mobilizing. She is the author of six specialist books and numerous specialist articles every year, a former guest lecturer at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich – and the mother of three children. She has been intensively involved in art since her youth, from goldsmithing, sculpture, and clay work to oil painting and innovative design techniques with glazes. Now, she focuses on her passion for art. Her works radiate strength and intensity with vibrant colors and stand for cheerfulness and lightness, optimism, joy in life, and strength. Her artworks in the “Aegeo” series are dedicated to the Mediterranean Sea and Greek mythology, exhibited at the Historical Archive,
Museum of Hydra, in Greece, throughout May 2024.
Your background is in business culture re-engineering. What initially drew you to this field, and what were some of the most valuable lessons as a leader?
Transforming, challenging, and mobilizing organizations has always driven and fascinated me – precisely because it is in these situations that you prove your leadership skills. And as a leader, I believe in the power of continuously reinventing yourself, and in the courage to do things you have never done before, experimenting, being bold. These are two of the most important sources of leadership success in our demanding and dynamic environment. Transformations always start within yourself before you can change a business – or the world.
In your role as a Doctor of Business Administration and founder and managing director of a change management consultancy, did you encounter any situations where artistic expression or creativity proved to be a valuable tool? If so, can you share an example?
Creativity is tremendously important for bringing managers and their people together in a company, aligning them towards one goal, engaging them, also with their hearts and not only their heads – approaching them with a different campaign, with an unexpected intervention, with a true, honest, authentic view of the situation. Artistic expression in my view is also a very true, honest, and authentic communication with others via your artistic work. An artist should have a mission for what he wants to express.
As an expert on “change”, do you have any aspirations for transforming the arts?
Yes, I do. I want to be part of changing the rules according to which this market works. For example, I created the first virtual art gallery. I want to be at the top of the movement for innovation in the arts. Art, for me, is a dialog and an enabler, I want to strengthen this dialog. Art, for me, is not an end, it can only exist in the reflection of the viewer. I also present my artworks in the natural environment of homes and living spaces, because that’s where art comes to shine. I feel humble as an artist, I want to serve others with my work.
The title of your exhibition is “Aegeo”. Can you tell us what inspired this name and what it signifies about the artwork you’ll be displaying?
“Aegeo” has deep meaning to me! it symbolizes my love for my motherland Greece, its great history, and the richness of its stories to be told – also with modern art. Aegeo is my current phase – feeling all this mystique around me and looking at the Mediterranean Sea, that’s when I start my mental journey…
Is there a specific flow or narrative you want viewers to experience as they move through the exhibition?
I want us to question what we see and to set out on a journey with our feelings. At first glance, my artworks look like animals or people – and then you discover the link to Greek mythology. The journey through the exhibition begins with the blue sea, evolving into a vibrant Aegean tapestry of colors. Each hue symbolizes a facet of life: green for vitality, red for earthiness, blue for water, and gold for divinity.
The exhibition is being held at the Historical Archives – Museum of Hydra, which is steeped in history. Did the location influence the creation of any of the pieces in the exhibition?
To have this exhibition in Hydra in this prestigious museum is a very special honour for me, as I love this island so much. It has its spirituality. I enjoy painting in Hydra my latest blue works were created here. The atmosphere on Hydra always transmits something to me when I work here.
You juggle a successful art career with a demanding professional life and motherhood. Can you elaborate on the work-life balance strategies that have helped you thrive in these diverse roles?
This balance is tough work, always a challenge. So, strategy part 1: Choose your partner wisely, have your partner and kids, who you love and who love you, on your side, and always support each other to further grow and discover the world and one’s capabilities. Part 2: Always protect the weakest part of the family and do not do something you would ever have to regret. Part 3: organize your life and all the support that is needed to make it work. Be practical and accept compromises. Part 4: understand your life as phases with different issues and different solutions. Part 5: The glass is half full and not half empty. You are not the victim, but the master of your life.
Thank you very much!
