Estudio Nómada is an international working, learning and exhibition community for globetrotting artists. In lively studios downtown Barcelona and a beautiful artist residency outside the city artists and students from over 75 different countries work together, inspire each other and learn from each other. Since 2008 Estudio Nómada has been joining art. events and has been designing and hosting shows for their students and residents in their exhibition space in the centre of Barcelona.

In 2007 visual artist Iris Tonies and writer/entrepreneur Arnout Krediet sailed their live-a-board ship around Europe to dock in Barcelona. They immediately started an artistic co-working and exhibition space for international artists downtown.

After a few months Iris first took a mentor student under her wings who wanted to prepare to apply to art schools. This first project attracted attention by the Life Long Learning program of the European Government and moved Arnout & Iris to combine forces and start an intimate scale art academy within the walls of their co-working space. Over time all remaining co-workers got involved as teachers in the community-based, immersive, studio art academy that still exists today.

In 2014 Iris and Arnout added a new project to the nomadic family for professional artists in their community. They restored a gigantic (1000 m2) wine farm situated in the paradisaical Cava area Penedes into an artists residency. Since 2015 a maximum of 10 artists are welcome to stay on the former wine estate to work on their artistic endeavors. The estate is also used as a refuge for workshops for students attending the academy and artists in the residency visit the academy to teach, collaborate and share ideas with the students.

In February 2017 the academy moved to a bigger building with a professional exhibition space near many other galleries and the Arc de Triomf, right in the centre of Barcelona. At the moment a maximum of 20 students work and study there on a daily basis. Both residents and students get the chance to exhibit work in the gallery district of Barcelona.

In Estudio Nómada all is focused on moving students and residents forward on their personal path as creative people. Artists, designers and art-hearted people from all over the world are welcome to solidify ideas, master the artistic process, improve skills, broaden horizons and meet like-minded people.

Our believe is that fulfilling art comes with dedication. The settings we create are safe immersive environments in inspiring areas with a raw ‘true to life’ edge to leave room for experiments. Studio access is unlimited so all the necessary time can be spend on the production of art. We also believe that a good role model is the best teacher. Our teachers and artists are a diverse spread of creative people that can learn from each other and inspire each other.

To fulfill the cycle from idea to finished work we often organize exhibitions in our exhibition space in the gallery district of Barcelona. Here the public can enjoy lively shows from our residents and students with ‘the paint still wet’.

The Utopia we strive for is a network of characteristic art-spaces around the world where our nomads can study and create in changing settings, discover the world, live life as artists and be part of a social structure that supports a nomadic creative lifestyle.