CUMA Contemporary Utopia Management Association

National Network
Türkiye
Address

Mazharpasa Sok. No:4/8 Basiktas
Istanbul/
Turkey

Telephone
+905327481952
Telephone (other)
+905324352576
E-Mail
eaysun@c-u-m-a.org
E-Mail (2)
epazarbasi@c-u-m-a.org
E-Mail (3)
info@c-u-m-a.org
Organisation Type
Non-Governmental Organization
Year of Establishment
2008
Fields of Activity
  1. Arts
  2. International/Cultural relations
General Information
a non for profit organization established by two founding partners Esra A. Aysun and Ece Pazarbasi. Annual membership fees; individual investments of the founding partners; consultancy fees, structural and project based. -initiating interdisciplinary cultural activities at urban and rural areas in Turkey that plays a key role in the process of democratic transition of contemporary arts in society. -introducing its collaborators to networks, supporting and sharing their artistic production processes. -acting as a contact point for the contemporary multi-disciplinary artists as well as cultural organizations from the South East Europe and the Balkans. -developing training workshops and seminars about the culture sector focusing on contemporary art. -supplying mentoring for local cultural institutions both for their self-evaluation, as well as for local and international funding bodies by its assessment, evaluation and audit expertise. *Current main partners are artist initiations BAS, PIST and the Balkan Express Network of IETM.
Mission and Objectives

CUMA is a non-profit contemporary art organization, aiming to activate urban and rural communities by creating contemporary art projects and acting as a mentor for art organizations and initiatives. CUMA is based in Istanbul, Turkey.
CUMA’s aim is to break monotonous cycles of urban and rural daily life via interdisciplinary contemporary art happenings. Its endeavor is to disrupt the chronically discriminatory, monopolist attitudes, and the status quo of our time. In order to fulfill its goal, it is also CUMA’s aspiration to form creative bridges between thought and reality for organizations and initiatives with creative ideas to realize their international and local collaborative utopias.
With its collaborators from a wide spectrum, CUMA also acts as a mediator amongst them, creating dynamic networks and gathering place.

Main Projects / Activities

*exhibition curated by Ece Pazarbasi May 14 - July 12, 2009 at Maison Folie de Lille Moulins, Lille, France
*organization of Midi Midi on Istanbul July 2-5 2009 at Maison Folie de Lille Moulins, Lille, France
*Meeting Point Gulpinar, the mobile village project, an international gathering around art and creativity, first edition of which took place in 2007, will take place again in August 2009 at Gulpinar, Canakkale, Turkey. (http://www.meetingpoint2007.blogspot.com/)
*One Night Stand, a mini artist book fair by BAS - artist -run space initiated by Banu Cennetoglu in Istanbul, Turkey during the International Istanbul Biennial in September 2009.
*An international artist residency program in collaboration with PIST, an alternative project space and an independent project run by Didem Ozbek and Osman Bozkurt in Istanbul, Turkey.
*Initiation of the Balkan Express Project Office in Istanbul, Turkey in collaboration with Bunker Productions and IETM.

Contact (1) Full Name
Esra A. Aysun
Head of the organisation
Esra A. Aysun & Ece Pazarbasi
Contact (2) Full Name
Ece Pazarbasi