The Khan Collection is an experimental institutional collection initiated and run by The Khan: The Arab Association for Prototyping Cultural Practices as a new model of commissioning, circulating, and archiving art that incorporates the public as stakeholders in the art market, and works towards collective value building.

The Khan invites unlikely art patrons to join its collection. Each patron is matched with an artist to create a personalized artwork they would co-parent with The Khan. The artwork represents the artist’s response to the patron’s desires after several conversations and tests, and is later given to the patron for personal use. Each patron keeps the artwork either at home or work, and at their request, The Khan monetizes it either through rent or sale. The Khan also creates replicas of these artworks as posters whose profit is shared equally between the artist, patron and The Khan. In the case of sale, The Khan maintains co-parent status with the new owner to ensure the lineage and growth of the archive.

Through this collection, The Khan is exploring a model where an art collection can expand infinitely. Instead of being in a centralized storage, the artworks are publically used. In addition to being part of their patron’s lives, displayed in their personal spaces, these artworks also express their desires, and as a collection, generate glimpses of public taste and dreams in their respective regions.

For the first three artworks of The Khan Collection, The Khan commissioned three young artists, Julia Saab, Tala Salman and Nicol Yamin, that are also part of its core team, to work with three inaugural patrons, Rachad, Nabil and Ali, and create artworks specifically for them.

If you are artist and would like to contribute, please fill this form.

For other support and general inquiry, please drop us an email.