Francisca Khamis Giacoman is a visual artist and designer based in Amsterdam. Through performances, installations, and audiovisual works, she recalls stories of migration and unfolds them at the boundaries of fiction and materiality.
Actively involved in self-organized projects, Francisca co-founded Museo del Perro * Honden Museum in Amsterdam (2023); Ediciones Rocas Shop Cooperative Publishing House in Santiago (2017–2022); C.I.A (Centro de Investigación Artístico) in Santiago (2013–2015); and Espacio Estamos Bien, an art cooperative in Amsterdam that curates gatherings, publications, and exhibitions. Currently, she leads the development of a support initiative for non-European students at Sandberg Instituut and Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam.
She has exhibited at Rozenstraat, Amsterdam; Extracity, Antwerp; Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam; Kunstverein, Amsterdam; PuntWG, Amsterdam; Stroom, The Hague; Stadium, Berlin; Bibliotek, London; and Gold+ Beton, Cologne, among others.
Art & Spatial Praxis – Maia Gattás and Francisca Khamis Giacoman met in the West Bank in 2019. Francisca was conducting a residency in Birzeit, and Maia was traveling to film scenes for her documentary "Viento del Este" (2023). They have committed to exchanging letters to engage in a dialogue about various memories related to water in the occupied territory of Palestine.
Art & Spatial Praxis – The research group Art & Spatial Praxis launched the digital artistic research platform Plot(ting) on April 17th 2024. Plot(ting) emerges as a publishing platform showcasing art, research, and spatial practices. Currently it harbors contributions by Flavia Pinheiro, Giulia Damiani, Francisca Khamis & Maia Gattás Vargas, Neeltje ten Westenend & Hanneke Stuit, Mariana Balvanera, Patricia de Vries, Amelia Groom, and Liza Prins. Here you can read in brief about the different contributions. Read more on the plotting website: plotting.rietveldsandberg.nl
Art & Spatial Praxis – The research group Art & Spatial Praxis (LASP) starts a new Plot(ting) research group consisting of 11 new members. They meet on a monthly basis to discuss theoretical and material manifestations that speak to Sylvia Wynter’s concept of the plot. They had their first fruitful session on May 30th 2023.