Report on Beneben 1 by Tonya Sudiono and Emmanuel Lambion
How do different actors in the art field – artists, curators and art critics – balance the line between artistic freedom and freedom of speech on the one hand, and resistance and solidarity on the other? On 28 and 29 November 2025, AICA Belgium & AICA Netherlands organized the No Object, No Subject, No Drama, Really? in Brussels to spark a discussion on the topic of censorship and self-censorship in the arts.
This was the first iteration of BENEBEN encounters, an initiative sponsored by AICA NL and AICA Belgium and which received the support of AICA International. The project aims to foster mutual exchanges and debate between two national sections of AICA international, associations that are rather similar in context and background. While this first edition took place in Belgium, the following episode will be held in 2026 in the Netherlands and will be primarily organized by AICA NL.
The first day of BENEBEN 1 centered on the symposium with
four external panelists and three to four members of AICA sharing their experience. Under the title ‘No Object, No Subject, No Drama, Really?’ – inspired by the work of artist Wobbe Micha – , participants explored their experiences with political sensitivities in artistic projects. The second day consisted of exhibition visits at BOZAR and various galleries, art centers and private foundations.
Morning Program: Welcome Get together and Visit of (Not) All is Gold, Cloud Seven
Before the symposium kicked off, participants were invited for a guided tour at the exhibition ‘(Not) All is Gold’ at Cloud Seven, which was curated by AICA Belgium’s President Emmanuel Lambion.
Cloud Seven is an art space from private collector Frédéric de Goldschmidt. It hosts two exhibitions per year, showcasing a selection of works from Goldschmidt’s collection, and other selected works. ‘(Not) All Is Gold’ explores the notion of value in art, whether it be intrinsic or metaphoric, subverted or enhanced, protocol-based and linked to the respective economies of the partakers (artists, collectors, institutions etc).
Symposium
After this visit, the symposium stricto sensu, operating under the Chatham House rule of not photographing, recording or quoting without permission, was then opened by Joke de Wolf (president AICA Netherlands) and Emmanuel Lambion (president AICA Belgium). The symposium deliberately encompassed on different angles under which censorship can arise. The panel of speakers was diverse and reflected the way art workers, critics, artists and curators could be confronted to censorship & self-censorship. The panel featured four keynote speakers
Two artists Wobbe Micha and Anna Raimondo who in conversation with Emmanuel Lambion exposed the way their work had been subject to forms of censorship / pressure to adapt, one in the curated section of an art fair, the other whilst being invited to a triennial. Read more
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