Mapping Hope Across Cultures
Published March 2026 on Novisli.com
When Madrid gathers the world through art, something larger than exhibition happens. Paintings, sculpture, ideas and conversations become a shared language across borders. During the Contemporary Gaudí Art Fair, Novisali’s exhibition Mapping Hope entered that dialogue — not as certainty, but as invitation.
The exhibition brought together works from the series Hopepunk, Human Cartography and Sparks of Hope. Different in form, yet connected by one question: How do human beings continue to orient themselves when the world feels fragmented?
Reflections
- Hope is not the same in every culture, but the need for it is universal.
- Maps can show geography, but art can map emotion, belonging and direction.
- What connects people is often deeper than what divides them.
- In times of noise, beauty can become guidance.
- The future is shaped not only by systems, but by imagination.
The Message
We often speak of globalisation through trade, technology or politics. But culture also globalises.
A painting created in one country can move someone from another. A symbol understood differently in many places can still create connection. A colour, a gesture, a composition can cross borders faster than argument.
That is why art matters in uncertain times. It reminds us that while cultures differ, people still long for meaning, dignity, belonging and hope.
Perhaps the most important maps of the future are not only economic or geopolitical. Perhaps they are human maps. And perhaps hope is something we create together — across languages, histories and borders.
Read the full reflection here:
Mapping Hope Across Cultures
About Liselotte Engstam, Digoshen & Novisali
Liselotte Engstam is an explorer of perspectives, an adventurer of ideas, a pathfinder of meaning, and a guide of timeless transitions. She bridges the worlds of board leadership and art, helping organizations and individuals navigate disruption while nurturing creativity and reflection.
As founder of Digoshen, she works with boards and leaders to expand future insights and reduce digital and sustainability blindspots. Through research, networks, and executive programs, Digoshen supports responsible value creation in the digital and sustainable age, contributing thought leadership via books, articles, events, Digoshen Exploring Leaders podcast, and blogs.
She also serves as Chair of the Boards Impact Forum in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Climate Governance. The Forum convenes board members, thought leaders, and experts in dialogues, webinars, and collaborative events, accelerating action on climate, AI, and sustainability.
Through her artistic practice as Novisali, Liselotte explores creativity and meaning. Her watercolors, digitally reimagined, invite reflection and renewal, offering perspectives that connect head, heart, and hand, and complementing her work with leaders and boards.
→ Discover more at www.Digoshen.com
→ Learn more at www.BoardsImpactForum.com
→ Find more about Liselotte at www.liselotteengstam.com and her Google Scholar page
→ Explore Liselotte’s art and reflections at www.novisali.com and follow on Instagram @novisali_arts