elsa F.
Google
My girlfriend and I went to see the feminist artist Tomaso Binga’s exhibition at the museum. The art was thought-provoking; the staff’s behavior, less so. In the “free speech” area, we wrote on the public whiteboard a playful Pride cheer in French: “Bravo les lesbiennes.” When we passed by an hour later, it had been erased, and three staff members were laughing awkwardly. We rewrote it, but left wondering how, in 2025, a harmless nod to LGBTQ+ pride could be treated as something to remove—especially in an exhibition celebrating a progressive voice like Binga’s.
Ironically, Binga’s work seemed prophetic: even in the so-called progressive art world, it’s sometimes safer to pretend to be someone you’re not.