Art Meets Strategy

About Gaella

Gaella Gottwald is a Montreal-born, Washington DC, Zagreb and Korčula-based multidisciplinary artist, art director, and creative consultant with over 25 years of experience spanning institutions, continents, and creative disciplines. Educated at Brown University in History of Art and Architecture, with further studies at FAMU and UMPRUM in Prague and the European Institute of Design in Milan, she began her career as a Van Lier Curatorial Fellow at MoMA New York under design curator Paola Antonelli, before going on to produce documentary film at Cinecittà in Rome, deal Asian art and antiques in Washington DC, and direct illustration and art direction projects across Europe and Africa.

Professional Background + Achievements

As Director of the Croatian Association of Artists (HDLU) from 2010 to 2014, she led an organisation of 1,500 members, coordinated over 230 exhibitions—including premieres by Luc Tuymans, Peter Lindbergh, and Vito Acconci—and founded ArtOmat, the unconventional art fair that received the National Award for Innovation in the Arts in 2013. She subsequently served the City of Dubrovnik as consultant for its European Capital of Culture bid and as Art Director of the historic Lazareti complex, transforming it into a multidisciplinary platform for art, science, craft, and community.

A practising painter, illustrator, and jewellery designer with solo and group exhibitions across Croatia, Italy, Lebanon, the US, and beyond, Gaella's artistic and consulting work has always been inseparable—rooted in the conviction that creativity is a tool for social change. She has directed animation projects for UNESCO, created land art and hemp cultivation initiatives, produced multimedia documentaries on outsider artists across three continents, and consulted for cultural organisations, brands, and municipalities worldwide.

A TEDx speaker, recipient of the Vital Voices Global Ambassadors Fellowship, and elected member of Croatia's Cluster for Competitiveness in the Creative and Cultural Industries, she is currently the founder of Gottwald Consulting, offering creative consulting, artistic production, and worldwide art sales.