Writers Block

Writers Block was initiated by Witte Rook to stimulate the writing talent of art professionals within the field of visual art. Based on the notion that language always plays a vital role in the arts, Writers Block is designed to explore the various positions text can take – from research to storytelling. To this end, we invite curators, artists, art historians, theorists, philosophers, researchers, and critics for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

The Writers Block programme focuses on two main facets: writing about art and writing with artists. While ‘writing about art’ emphasises reflection and a critical or investigative attitude, ‘writing with artists’ is rooted in a non-hierarchical approach in which the writer contributes to the artwork – and vice versa. The programme spans a period of six months and consists of sessions, lectures, expert meetings, and workshops, each highlighting one of these two aspects.

The 2025 edition will launch as a pilot, focusing on ‘writing about art’ as its foundation. Art historian Manon van Beek has curated a programme that explores various stylistic approaches within the field of art writing, with particular attention to editing and providing commentary on texts.
Read more about the Open Call here.

“Writing for you was a truly inspiring process. The editorial support, in particular, gave me a great deal of energy and ideas for future texts.”
– Niels Bekkema

Witte Rook was originally founded in 2016 as an online platform created by and for artists, aimed at highlighting different aspects of artistic practice through written texts, poetry, and photoblogs. From the very beginning, Witte Rook provided both emerging and established writers with a space to publish their own ideas and reflections. To this day, every Witte Rook project places emphasis on the artist’s voice and the artistic process. That’s why we have been working with a range of authors for many years. Our online publications have since evolved to include research-based writing, hybrid forms where text is integrated into artistic practice, publication projects, and the use of diverse media such as podcasts and video essays. We firmly believe that the act of writing – of describing – offers a vital contribution to the interpretation of art and is an essential part of how artworks are understood.

The name Writers Block refers to the proverbial barrier that writers sometimes face when struggling to put ideas into words. Our programme seeks to do the very opposite: by being each other’s sounding board and sharing working methods, the solitude of writing is replaced by mutual support. At the same time, the word Block signifies a group – a collective that seeks to engage both each other and a wider audience in their written reflections.