About
Last updated
Last updated
Experimentation is at the heart of contemporary cultural institutions and museums like HEK (House of Electronic Arts). Friends of HEK is a long-term experiment in shared responsibility and participation. Drawing inspiration from DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) models, we explore what happens when a cultural institution opens up its structure to community input — with all the learning curves, shifts, and small steps that come with it.
Originally launched as a blockchain-based membership, the project has since moved off-chain to ensure broader access. We’re still guided by the core principles of shared governance, but do things in our own way — shaped by those who take part.
Got an idea? Members can propose and review community projects. Selected proposals can be realized with support from the Friends of HEK treasury.
Friends of HEK includes exclusive access to workshops, collaborative experiments, and opportunities for knowledge sharing — both online and on-site.
Your membership includes free entry to all exhibitions and events at HEK, as well as to Kunsthaus Baselland next door.
Each year, we invite members to a hybrid summer gathering — a chance to meet the HEK team, share ideas, and connect. You can join on-site or online.
Now entering its third season, Friends of HEK is a growing experiment in community-driven cultural work. From the beginning, the project has asked what happens when a museum doesn’t just speak to its audience — but invites it to think along, take part, and shape what’s next.
Rooted in the spirit of decentralization, the first two seasons explored new tools for collective decision-making, including a token-based membership model on the blockchain. While this early approach offered valuable insights, it also brought limitations: access, complexity, and market instability. To make participation more inclusive, Friends of HEK has since moved off-chain — but the focus on shared responsibility and openness remains.
Participation happens primarily on a dedicated Discord server, where members exchange ideas, vote on proposals, and co-develop activities. The structure continues to evolve through the people who join it. Members curate exhibitions, initiate projects, host workshops, and imagine new forms of working together — both online and onsite.
We still draw from DAO principles, but adapt them freely. If anything, Friends of HEK might be better described as a DOW – a Decentralized Organization Worldwide: flexible, collective, and always in progress.
Over its first two seasons, Friends of HEK has tested different ways of sharing authorship within a cultural institution — through open calls, community curation, and ongoing conversation.
The 2024 season introduced a new wave of activities. The Face of the Token was awarded to Sasha Stiles, whose work was also featured in the community-curated online exhibition Material Poetry, created in collaboration with Synthesis Gallery. Alongside the exhibition, a series of live performances took place on HEK’s virtual platform. The season also included the first open call for open projects, resulting in the selection of a project proposal by Hannah Chabbani and Marc Bredemeier. They are currently developing a Guide to DAOs, to be launched during the Kunsttage 2025 at HEK.
These activities reflect the evolving nature of the project — not as a fixed program, but as a shared space shaped by those who participate.
Take part in shaping HEK’s browser-based exhibition space, . Twice a year, members curate and contribute to new online shows — from concept to selection.
In 2023, members voted on the first Face of the Token, selecting artist Auriea Harvey to create two artworks. One of these became the visual identity for the season. Members also curated a solo show on , featuring the work of Maya Man, and took part in online talks and tours with artists including Jonas Lund, Kyle McDonald, and Annet Dekker.