Francesca Hawker
Writing Residency

From more than 250 applications, the jury selected Francesca Hawker for an upcoming residency at Woning Van Wassenhove in January 2024.

The Jury “was impressed by the candidate’s witty and surprising writing and project proposal, and how writing is embedded withinher practice. Without directly addressing the context of the Woning, it does show an astute awareness of it.”

Francesca Hawker (born 1992, UK) is based in London. She graduated from the Dutch Art Institute Masters programme in 2020. She works across the fields of performance, poetry, installation, music, self-publishing, and comedy. Prevalent themes include failure, friendship, and the maintenance of communal fantasies. She often works collaboratively within the “slapstick of ordinary relation”, defined by Lauren Berlant as a way of “trying to stay in the same enough conversation in order to build something together that neither of us could build by ourselves.”

The Writing Residency at Woning Van Wassenhove is organised in collaboration with MORPHO, offering an artist the opportunity to further develop their writing practice during one month, with full institutional support by MDD and MORPHO. The residency is supported by Axel Vervoordt Gallery and Puilaetco.

Jury

Caroline Dumalin (artistic director MORPHO), Laurens Otto (curator MDD), Bert Puype (artist liaison Axel Vervoordt Gallery), Yann Chateigné Tytelman (curator, writer and member artistic advisory board MORPHO).

Project

During her residency at Woning Van Wassenhove, Francesca Hawker is in the process of crafting 13 short texts. These texts will be read aloud by 13 guests during upcoming dinners and will also serve as the foundation for a public presentation later this year.

The texts delve into the lives of various individuals connected to eels, including friends of the artist, writers, and historical figures. Although initially presented as biographies or character introductions, Hawker aims to intricately connect these characters through shared affinities. more info