Dr. Mária Keresztes
Creator of the Neutral Space Method | Researcher & Author
Cultural & Creative Industries · Transcultural Norms
I work at a crossroads few people occupy: where economics meets the arts. My knowledge was built at four universities — Széchenyi István University, ELTE, Károli Gáspár University and the University of Theatre and Film Arts, Budapest — across economics, aesthetics, psychology, religious studies and the humanities. International scholarships and professional work have taken me from the world's leading economies to emerging markets — across Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa and Australia.
From this ground grew the Neutral Space Method: a research-based approach that makes cultural norms, differences and economic processes visible and workable in organizations. My doctoral research — Art as an Economic Force: Cultural Mentoring at an Industrial Site — is its scientific foundation.
Researcher
I am the author of the Transculturator theory and of more than 60 registered scholarly and artistic works (MTMT). My research has appeared in international peer-reviewed journals, including the Scopus-indexed Kritika Kultura and TÉR-GAZDASÁG-EMBER, and my work was supported by the Korean Studies Grant 2024 of the Academy of Korean Studies. But my research does not live in a library: I draw conclusions from real corporate data — from law firms to industrial sites — and turn them into working HR and organizational solutions.
Full publication record on ORCID →What this means for your company
From data to diagnosis — a real example
In a multi-year corporate program, I tracked group-level indicators — participation, absence, creative activity and norm-related behaviour — from 2019 to 2021. The diagnostics showed where recognition and acceptance were missing, predicting motivation loss and turnover risk. After targeted Neutral Space mentoring, norm-related engagement grew fivefold, while group harmony increased and sickness absence stayed low. The findings became concrete HR recommendations — not a report that sits in a drawer.
Want to see what your data would show? →
Author & Artist
Art is not a metaphor in my work — it is the instrument. I am the author of artistic and literary volumes including Decisions (2025), Haiku and Visual Artwork and Memories, and my work has been recognized in the Kányádi Sándor competition and featured by HVG. The same creative practice that lives in these works powers the method I bring into companies.
Where it all began: long before boardrooms, I taught environmental education in the rainforests of Indonesia, working with WWF and the PPLH centres in Bali and Seloliman. Sustainability and cross-cultural work have been part of my practice ever since.
Speaker
I give talks and keynotes on transcultural innovation, cultural and creative industries, and the Neutral Space Method — for conferences, universities and corporate audiences, from AGTECO and the IASK Kraft Conference to Sofia University and industry events.
Interested in a talk? Get in touch →Why this matters for your business
When you work with SMARTIA, you are not buying a generic training. You are working directly with the researcher who built the method — and who keeps refining it with every publication, every artwork, and every company she works with.
