In Conversation: Mimi Brown and Haro Cumbusyan on Patronage and Social Change

On the occasion of their residencies at Delfina Foundation, collectors Mimi Brown and Haro Cumbusyan discuss their previous initiatives – Spring Workshop in Hong Kong and collectorspace in Istanbul, respectively -and explore what they might do next.

BIOGRAPHIES

Haro Cumbusyan is a social entrepreneur and a collector of media art. He is the Founding Director of collectorspace, a nonprofit organisation that through its exhibition program, off-site events, and publications, aims to open up private collections to public view as well as to critical review. By exhibiting significant artworks in its storefront location at the edge of Taksim Square in Istanbul, collectorspace seeks to engage the general public on issues that motivate contemporary artists while creating reference points for next generations of collectors regarding their role in supporting knowledge production.
Full bio here.

Mimi Brown began collecting art in 2004. She founded the initiative Spring Workshop to drill down into certain elements of the collecting practice on a larger scale. As a forum for experimentation with artists, audiences, residencies and partnerships, Spring Workshop commissioned dozens of new works and publications, hosted 200 public and private events, and welcomed 196 residents and other overnight guests to its beds, sofas and air mattresses. As part of its focus on supporting and connecting structures in the creative ecosystem, Spring worked with 12 organizations, including Asia Art Archive, Para Site, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, M+, Things that can happen, HK Farm and soundpocket.
Full bio here.