Produced on the occasion of Willem Oorebeek’s exhibition Bigger, Higher, Leader!, at S.M.A.K., Ghent, 6 May–30 July, 2006.

Willem Oorebeek’s work presents a reflection on the status of the image and more especially on what technical reproduction does to an image or a message. Over the last few years he has been working on his BLACKOUT series, in which he prints on existing printed matter by hand, using black ink. The images he uses are of various origins, but he appropriates them and by making them illegible also pays tribute to them. In a certain sense, Oorebeek’s work is akin to certain aspects of Pop Art, though his is more radical. [publisher’s text]

Designed by Luc Derycke & Willem Oorebeek.

Rémy Zaugg said about a work of Cezanne: “The manufacture of the image is the work of the beholder.” William Oorebeek once quoted this in one of his books, and calls his artistic interventions often “picture editing”. This is more than clear in met zonder KOP. The multitude of images and snippets of detail, of shifts, the increase of the image resources and gaps that Oorebeek uses, forces the viewer to “build a picture”, in the way we are daily forced to reconstruct the flow of images into a sensible and meaningful whole. [publisher’s note]

The work of Jacqueline Mesmaeker is intangible, discreet and captivating. Starting from analytical intentions and experimental protocols linked to perception and representation, her practice remains anchored in a literary and poetic universe, including references to Lewis Carroll, Mallarmé, Melville or Paul Willems. Minimal, sometimes even unnoted, her rare and precise work is nonetheless present. It willingly takes over space, playing with the actual and symbolic architecture, revealing the structures and lines of force, but also the errors, by thwarting their perspectives or correcting them with delicate touches.

Seven selected poems by Antwerp-based artist Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, illustrated with some of the artist”s original black and white pen drawings. Limited edition of 300 copies.