DICTU x Victor Verhelst
Commission and permanent art integration for the Dutch government
PLUS-ONE Projects collaborated with DICTU, the Dutch government’s IT and digital services organisation in The Hague, on a permanent art integration by Victor Verhelst titled ‘FALLEN SUNDOWN’.
Commissioned for a central circulation zone within the DICTU building, the work is conceived as a visual anchor for staff and visitors, embedding contemporary digital art directly into the daily environment of a governmental service provider.
As curatorial and coordinating partner, PLUS-ONE translated DICTU’s ambition to connect infrastructure, information and innovation with culture into a concrete, long‑term artwork. We guided the process from initial briefing and concept development to technical integration, ensuring that ‘FALLEN SUNDOWN’ aligns with safety, durability and institutional protocols while still retaining the speculative, luminous character of Verhelst’s digital worlds.
The collaboration underscores how governmental buildings can function as living cultural spaces rather than neutral backdrops.
By treating DICTU’s corridors and meeting areas as sites for sustained artistic encounter, PLUS-ONE helped position public digital infrastructure side‑by‑side with artistic imagination, making contemporary art part of how a government agency presents itself to employees, partners and citizens.
About Victor Verhelst
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Thomas De Ben (b. 1988) is a Belgian curator and cultural strategist based in Antwerp and Ghent.
With a background in visual arts and a sharp eye for contemporary culture, Thomas navigates the evolving landscape between art, technology, and design. As co-founder of PLUS-ONE Projects and A.P./Studio in Antwerp, he explores new curatorial formats that rethink the conventional gallery model... interdisciplinary, hybrid, and future-facing.
Thomas’ practice is driven by a desire to articulate new frameworks for artistic production and presentation. Rooted in both artistic experimentation and cultural strategy, his approach is content-led and collaborative, always responsive to the urgencies of the time. Rather than reinforcing fixed categories, he seeks out friction zones, spaces where artistic, technological, and cultural languages meet and generate new narratives.
Over the past fifteen years, Thomas has worked with a wide range of national and international artists, institutions, galleries, brands, and cultural clients to develop innovative projects across media and disciplines. His strength lies in shaping meaningful trajectories: from concept development and visual strategy to the creation of platforms that support artistic research and experimentation. -
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