Meanwhile in the countryside
The session "Meanwhile in the Countryside" shed some light on experiences, practices and methods of undertaking art projects in rural areas. The session has also challenged the notion of bringing culture to the countryside, claiming that there is already a culture, and a deeply rooted one.

City of arrival
In the session "City of Arrival", the new nature of our European cities was discussed, having as a starting point the case of our host city. From ‘multicultural’ to ‘superdiverse’ – with a majority of the population having roots in migration - our cities have changed and this change should be reflected in all aspects of societies. In a heated debate, the role of arts organisations in reflecting this new reality was questioned. How to be on the forefront of change rather than lagging beyond?

Governing with populists: experiences from the Netherlands, Catalonia, Poland and Hungary
How do you lead a cultural institution, in a context in which populist politicians have acquired a powerful position? This article by Joris Janssens summarises the stories shared during the "Governing with Populists" session.

Relocalising artistic practices
Through the professional experiences of five different arts professionals, from different continents, states, fields and practices, this session tried to seek new opportunities to rethink the local outside the populist nationalistic paradigm and to reinvent the international without the unification of the globalised culture.

Art and civic movements
This IETM Brussels session has explored the tensions between the artist as both a romantic outsider and an activist insider. Each panelist had an experience in engaging with civic movements: some from recent years, others – for decades, some on a local level, others on an international one.

All aboard for self-censorship
Public condemnation, prohibition from working, repressions, prosecution, trial and imprisonment, forced exile, ban for travel, economic censorship are mechanisms through which authoritarian regimes silence free speech and artistic expression. This session presented the cases of censorship from Turkey, Poland, and Iran, which revealed the graveness of the situation today. 

Hey (E)U!
This IETM Brussels session was an attempt to cast aside all the doubts, disbelief and frustrations regarding the EU’s cultural policy, and to take a courageous look into the further, deeper future. Panelists and participants allowed themselves to dream and envisage what should be the right place, role and resources for culture and the arts within the European project.