Published on the occasion of Oorebeek's major survey exhibition at WIELS, this richly illustrated book presents re-readings of fifty years’ work and the materiality of production. 

OBSTAKLES, by no means complete nor comprehensive, contains something like one hundred and twenty descriptions: re-readings of fifty years of Willem Oorebeek’s work and the materiality of production, initially written to inform the curator. These are numbered according to recollection, organised under headings, and translated from Dutch to English. The translations are coloured by two years of conversation—accounting for ambiguity, mistakes, and an [un]conscious preference for “quasi-”, “ofschoon...”, “enzovoort”. Repetition, alliteration and other material, musical and metric devices [“every election perpetuates this sincerely fragile momentum”] are placed on the page, quite intentionally, designed for memory & recall. 

The book is edited by Will Holder and Willem Oorebeek, published by Roma Publications and supported by WIELS, Mondriaan Fonds, Monolith BV and gallery dépendance.