Nuria Madrenas on buying art abroad
The Tacit Collective founder on planning studio and gallery visits when travelling.
At the intersection of creativity and commerce lies Tacit Collective, a Toronto-based online gallery and consultancy dedicated to women artists. Nuria Madrenas founded the company after discovering that women are behind just 2% of the art sold globally.
She’s now redefining perceptions around buying art, by promoting underrepresented artists but also by focusing on the accessibility of prints, mixed-media, and smaller pieces. You can find Tacit-approved art in hotels, eateries, and homes across the city.
She spoke with Airplane Mode about how travel has influenced her love of art, and some of her top travel recommendations: from old memories of visiting artist studios in northern Spain to how to plan the perfect day of gallery hopping on Melrose Drive.
Studio tours
My parents are very creative and musical, and during our travels they would always connect with local artists and arrange studio visits — it made our trips so unique and had a big influence on my interest in art today. A few years ago, we did a family road trip in the north of Spain, passing through places like Bilbao and San Sebastián. We visited artists in remote areas, often on farms with animals running around. It was such an immersive experience compared to viewing art in a traditional gallery.
Packing essentials
I need face mist, or anything for hydration. My friend just got me the Kind Atmosphere Biome Mist from Formula Fig and I love it.
€100 plates
My brother lived in Barcelona for about a decade and took me to some memorable Michelin-starred restaurants, like Tickets (editor’s note: Tickets has closed but chef Albert Adrià still has restaurants in Barcelona, London, and New York) and Disfrutar.
Doing your research
For work I travel mainly to New York and LA, and occasionally London for art fairs. In New York, there’s a gallery called Studio Twenty Seven (visits are by appointment), where everything is an art instillation. It’s so immersive. I also love Tappan Collective in LA. When travelling, I always look at the programming first, because it’s easy to get caught up in going to a big gallery for the sake of going to a big gallery. Those places can still be fun to check out, but what they have might not actually resonate with you.
Toronto Thai food
Koh Lipe is a go-to recommendation. I worked in hospitality for a many years, so I’m picky about what I like and value consistency. I think it’s the best Thai restaurant in the city. I get the Islamic Noodle.
Gallery hopping in LA
Whenever I’m in LA, I make time to spend at afternoon on Melrose. I always start with a matcha from Community Goods — it’s an incredible, salted cold foam situation. From there, you can visit Two Faced Gallery around the corner and then head west.
Gift shops
Gallery gift shops are so much more than just key chains and postcards, they also sell prints at accessible price points. The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) offers a selection of Tacit prints, so this is a shameless plug, but they also feature lots of emerging talent.
Marrakesh
I was pleasantly surprised by the colours, vibrancy, and community of Marrakesh. I loved the outdoor markets and really respect the hustle of local vendors. I buy things just to support them. Some are selling knock offs, but I find the quality always gives it away. We had rooftop drinks at the Nomad Hotel and visited a traditional Hammam.
Nostalgia Seoul
For our honeymoon this year, we’re staying at Nostalgia in Seoul: it’s beautiful and authentic to Korean culture as far as the architecture and the experience. But I won’t lie, finding a place like this is super hard because every spot is either TikTok viral or more westernized, which I'm not keen about. I’m determined to make it incredible and will probably lean on word of mouth recommendations, and less on what I find online.
Guest Guide captures the spirit of hospitality with travel recommendations from featured guests. Browse through past features here.