Core Activities and Public Engagement

The D-Lab is built on a model of continuous, multi-modal engagement:

• The Agora (Lectures & Discussions): Structured daily sessions featuring invited speakers and open-mic discussions focused on specific EDI and transparency challenges (e.g., Fair Artist Pay, Decolonizing Curatorial Practice, Board Diversity).
• The Workshop Forum: Hands-on sessions to draft policy frameworks, create mock institutional bylaws, or develop alternative funding models, directly involving public input.
• The Pure Taste Indicator (PTI): A high-traffic, participatory installation. The PTI is a voting/feedback mechanism where visitors can anonymously or openly evaluate artistic merit, institutional practice, or market transparency using quantifiable metrics, providing a real-time, public-sourced ‘evaluation’ that challenges top-down critical authority. This activity provides immediate data for discussion.

OPEN CALL for Artists, Activists, Curators, Art Historians, EDI experts, Researchers, NGO’s, Institutions, etc.. to be part of the D-Lab program.

ODBK is launching an Open Call for artists, cultural workers, art professionals, researchers, academics, activists, and EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) experts working at the intersection of art, equality, diversity, inclusion, transparency, participation, and democracy.

We invite individuals and collectives to propose and lead a one-day D-Lab session during documenta 16. Selected contributors will be responsible for facilitating the space for 4, 6, or 8 hours through activities such as lectures, workshops, discussions, surveys, participatory formats, performances, collaborative research, or other experimental approaches.

Proposals may address topics including, but not limited to:

• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)
• Transparency and accountability in the arts
• Democracy and participation
• Activism and social change
• Decolonization
• Feminism and gender equality
• Mental health and wellbeing in the arts
• Artists and communities from underrepresented backgrounds
• Minority voices and cultural representation
• Accessibility and inclusion
• Alternative and outsider practices
• Community-led and participatory art
• Equity and social justice in cultural institutions

We particularly welcome proposals that challenge existing structures, foster dialogue, encourage participation, and contribute to building a more inclusive and democratic art world.

Interested?

Click here to complete the application form with your proposal. We will review submissions on a rolling basis and get back to you as soon as possible.

We look forward to hearing your ideas and collaborating with you at D-Lab during documenta 16.

Director

David Hinojosa Admann: Mexican New Media Artist and Activist based in Berlin and Mexico. Director and Founder of the ODBK. Created and developed projects the Pure Taste Indicator, EDI certification for Contemporary Art Musuems and Art Collections and Art Market Regulation Comission, Stockartist.org,  among others. Has been invited to talk in numerous concerences around the world.

Curators

Sharon Toval :  is an international contemporary art curator, researcher, and lecturer whose practice focuses on curating as knowledge production, cultural mediation, and institutional development. He teaches curatorial studies at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and curated the first edition of the Ras Al Khaimah Contemporary Art Biennale in 2026. He is the initiator and curator of The Lab in Tel Aviv, an experimental space for artistic research and critical discourse. He is also actively involved with the Organization for the Democratization of Visual Arts (ODBK) in Berlin, where he contributes to initiatives advancing equality and inclusion for art minorities.

René G. Cepeda is a Kurator:in working at the intersection of contemporary art, digital media, and performance. On the curatorial team of documenta, René develops exhibition concepts, artist collaborations, and mediation strategies that foreground experimental practices and underrepresented voices. Their work is shaped by feminist and queer approaches, a commitment to collaborative structures, and extensive experience with virtual exhibitions and new media art.

Georgina Magklara: is an independent curator with a strong background in music, art history, cultural exchange, and diversity. Her expertise lies in curating exhibitions that transcend boundaries, fostering inclusivity and meaningful interactions through art. With a deep-rooted passion for the arts, Georgina’s sociocultural and political practices are evident in her dedication to promoting diverse voices and perspectives.

Marketing 

Sofiya Dimitrova is a Bulgarian born, Berlin based visual artist. Her practice explores femininity, trauma, identity, and women’s health through the lens of embodied memory. Working with etching, ink, textiles, and installation, she investigates how the body holds experience, balancing fragility with resilience in an ongoing process of healing.

Emily Lo is a training art therapist and community researcher specializing in culturally responsive and creative psychotherapy. Rooted in her Eastern heritage, she develops projects that connect cultural & artisanal traditions with contemporary well-being.

Interested to join this project as co-organizer?

Send us a message to info (at) odbk (dot) tk  or using our contact page 

1. Democratization of the Art World through the Pure Taste Indicator
David Hinojosa Admann – ODBK e.V.
This intervention introduces the Pure Taste Indicator (PTI), a participatory methodology
developed by ODBK to challenge the concentration of authority over artistic recognition and
evaluation.
Participants are invited to evaluate artworks through an accessible voting process and compare
collective assessments with conventional mechanisms of artistic validation.
The intervention combines a presentation, live audience evaluation, analysis of results, and
public discussion.
Central question: Can collective participation provide an alternative to the institutional and
market structures that determine artistic value?

2. EDI Certification for Museums and Art Collections
David Hinojosa Admann – ODBK e.V.
This session introduces ODBK’s proposed Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Certification
framework for museums and art collections.
The intervention explores how institutions can assess their practices in artist selection,
acquisitions, representation, governance, and public access.
Participants examine possible indicators of inclusion and institutional accountability, discussing
how certification and evaluation could encourage measurable structural change.
Central question: How can museums and art collections move from declarations of inclusion to
transparent and accountable practices?

3. Virtual Galleries as Democratizing Agents
René G. Cepeda
This practical workshop explores how virtual galleries can reduce geographical, institutional,
and financial barriers to exhibiting and accessing contemporary art.
Participants learn about digital exhibition platforms, curatorial storytelling, virtual gallery design,
and online audience engagement. Through guided exercises, they begin developing their own
virtual exhibition concepts.
The workshop connects digital skills with questions of cultural access and the distribution of
curatorial authority.
Central question: Can virtual exhibitions help redistribute opportunities for artistic visibility
beyond established cultural centres?

4. The Museum of Rejections
Sharon Toval
This participatory artistic and curatorial intervention invites artists to contribute anonymized
rejection letters from museums, galleries, residencies, biennials, grants, and open calls.
Together, the submissions form a growing public archive documenting artistic careers through
opportunities denied rather than achievements recognized.
Through collective reading, discussion, and reflection, the intervention examines institutional
selection processes, unequal access, and the emotional and professional consequences of
exclusion.
Central question: What can the accumulated experiences of rejected artists reveal about
power, transparency, and inequality in the art world?

5. DLAB TV: Broadcasting the Future Art World
Georgina Koutifari-Magklara
DLAB TV transforms the Democracy Lab into a temporary participatory television station.
A mobile team collects interviews with artists, visitors, curators, activists, and residents across
Kassel. These contributions are streamed into the D-Lab space and become material for
performances, discussions, and collective broadcasts.
The project explores the democratic possibilities of public media by giving diverse participants
opportunities to contribute to cultural narratives.
Central question: Who gets to speak about the future of art, and how can public broadcasting
become a democratic cultural practice?