FOUNDER / EDITOR / CURATOR

About Sonja Karl

I’ve been a copywriter by nature for more than 30 years.

After living and studying in Paris and Erlangen for a while, I jumped right into the fanciest ad agencies of our very planet: Leo Burnett, Ogilvy, Wunderman, and Serviceplan. They became my world. And I loved the brands I’ve been working for, such as Lufthansa, American Express, and Lamy, to name a few. Let me brag a little bit – won’t be long: I won several (39) national and international creative awards, which was a blast. My corporate career ended with the financial crisis in 2013 (does anybody remember?). Ogilvy got rid of some staff, and I was one of them (no hard feelings). Ever since, I’ve been working as a freelancer. Taking the word freelancer literally, I felt free to explore other fields of interest, such as writing, journalism and film making*.

Life is too short to drink bad wine. 

And it’s true: You should always know where to buy the best bread in town. The same goes for lamb chops, honey, pepper, shoes, and contemporary art. This is an attitude I’ve internalized from my late husband, Thomas Karl, aka Carlos, who really was into the quality game of things. He was a fabulous artist, person and loving father. He has always been a source of inspiration to me and to others. I’m dedicating my podcast to him and his legacy. His life ended way too soon in 2011, and he is being missed every day.

His sudden passing opened another door for me: Africa, Cameroon, where I went with my teenage daughter. I learned new things and was carried away and consoled by the kindness of my then-new friends, their stories, struggles, humour and all the different cultures.

My love for contemporary art and the continent is more alive than ever.

I’m fascinated by so many artists that I decided to go deeper here and help you connect to the work of African artists we don’t see much in Western countries. I curate and bring the brightest minds and best artworks to you. 

AFRICA MODERN gives artists from Africa a platform. We talk to each other in my new podcast, „It’s Africa Time!“ which will launch in March 2024 with the first episode. More details to come.

Sounds interesting? Subscribe for updates here

With love from another continent

Sonja Karl

*want to see my latest film? „Unholy Collections“ is on the national German TV on 3sat Kulturzeit. Click the play button.

Unholy Collections, 3sat-Kulturzeit