The Sovereign Artist: Sonia Borrell on StudiotoGallery and the 2026 Art Market Shift
What does it actually take to build a sustainable, global art career in 2026? As the industry recalibrates after the speculative frenzy of the early 2020s, a new era of radical transparency and artist autonomy is emerging - and Sonia Borrell is at the center of it.
In this episode of the Create! Podcast, I sat down with visionary curator, collector, and entrepreneur Sonia Borrell to talk about her newest venture: StudiotoGallery. It's a platform designed to dismantle traditional gatekeeping and return real control to the creator - bridging the gap between local studios and global collectors in a way that feels genuinely different from anything else out there right now.
The 2026 Market Recalibration
If you've felt confused or even bruised by the art market over the past few years, you're not alone - and you're not imagining it.
Sonia is direct about what happened: COVID created what she calls "a crazy spike" that had artists who had been selling work for $1,000 to $2,000 suddenly seeing auction results of $150,000. That kind of explosive, speculative pricing was never sustainable, and the correction has been painful for a lot of artists caught in the middle.
"Many collectors are now thinking, okay, what can I get for $150,000?" she explains. "And you can get artworks of very renowned artists. That's why they stopped buying."
But here's what Sonia wants artists to hold onto: the number of collectors globally is actually increasing. They haven't disappeared - they've just become more discerning. "We can't get them back saying, 'Hey, my artwork that was $2,000 five years ago is now $20,000,'" she says. The path forward requires authentic relationship-building, strategic pricing, and positioning that prioritizes long-term trust over short-term hype.
Her advice for artists navigating this moment:
Keep painting. Even if sales are slow, don't stop creating. "The artist needs to paint like we need to breathe." Keep work in the studio, but don't broadcast that you have 100 unsold canvases sitting in your basement.
Think strategically about collections. Getting your work into the right hands - even at a significant discount - is worth more to your long-term career than holding out for a number nobody will pay.
Focus on positioning over visibility. A curated, professional presence will always matter more to serious collectors than an unfiltered social media feed.
Introducing StudiotoGallery: A Home for the Sovereign Artist
StudiotoGallery grew directly out of Sonia's experience as a connector - someone who has spent years mentoring artists, writing reference letters, making introductions, and bridging the gap between studios and the broader art world. As her Instagram grew and the volume of incoming messages became impossible to manage, she realized she needed a way to scale her impact without losing the personal depth that makes her work meaningful.
"Everyone complains, but nobody does anything about it," she says. "They keep doing the same. So I have to be the pioneer."
What makes StudiotoGallery different from existing platforms comes down to one thing: artist control.
On StudiotoGallery, artists decide which works to showcase, how to price them, whether to list prices publicly or keep them available on request, and whether to sell directly or through existing gallery representation. No gallery holds the reins. No platform traps your name or your work after you decide to leave.
"There are some platforms out there where the gallery has a lot of control," Sonia explains. "And when the artist doesn't work with that gallery anymore and wants to get their name off the platform - they don't manage." She's building the alternative she wished had existed.
Beyond the platform itself, StudiotoGallery is a mentorship-led ecosystem. Members receive education on the art market, access to Sonia's book Art in Real-Time, and regular live Q&A and mentoring sessions designed to accommodate collectors and artists across multiple time zones.
Bridging the Digital Divide: Studio Visits and Real Connection
One thing Sonia is emphatic about: you can't build this kind of relationship entirely online.
She has partnered with Michael Phelan - who she describes as knowing "all the artists, all the galleries, so well connected" - to lead studio visits through the platform. These can happen in person or virtually, bringing collectors directly into an artist's studio for the kind of immersive, intimate experience that changes how people relate to work and the person who made it.
"Think about all of a sudden - in person or virtual - you get a lot of collector friends visiting an artist's studio," she says. "We complete the circle."
This is the model that already produced an installation in Marfa and another at the Sea World Cultural Center in China for one artist Sonia and Michael championed - someone who wasn't widely known, but who showed up, sent the right materials, and stayed engaged with the community. "From one conversation with an artist, all of a sudden it comes like an installation in Marfa, an installation in China."
Global Expansion and Art Belina
StudiotoGallery is the latest chapter in a longer story. Sonia's Hong Kong-based company Art Belina has been working for years to bridge Western artists with major corporate partners and institutions across China - including projects in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Saudi Arabia - through IP collaborations, original artwork placements, and media partnerships.
Now, StudiotoGallery becomes the front door to that entire ecosystem. "From now on, Studio2Gallery is my business card," she says. "When I go to China, to Saudi Arabia, to London, to the US - and they say, 'Sonia, can you create a show?' - yes. Only with the people that are here. Because the people in my platform are the people I mentor."
Three Things You Can Do Right Now
Whether you're applying to StudiotoGallery or just trying to elevate your professional presence, Sonia's practical advice is clear:
1. Get your documentation right. High-quality, straight-on photography is non-negotiable. A 45-second video focused on your style - not your studio setup, not your process narration, just your work and your voice as an artist - is one of the most powerful tools you have for a first impression with a serious collector.
2. Treat your Instagram like a professional portfolio. "Curate your feed," she says. Personal noise - the unrelated posts, the off-brand stories - confuses both your audience and the algorithm. Collectors use your social media to understand your artistic identity before they ever reach out.
3. Show up. This is the one Sonia comes back to again and again. "Things happen when you show up. The train only passes once." Go to the openings. Join the Q&As. Say yes to the trip. The artist who gets the installation in China isn't necessarily the most famous one - it's the one who was present when the conversation happened.
Connect with Sonia Borrell
Website: soniabblondon.com
Apply to StudiotoGallery: studiotogallery.com
And if you want to go deeper on building a sustainable art career in 2026, join us on Substack for more conversations with global art world leaders.