IO VAN OOSTVELDT___ ARTIST
Belgian artist IO Van Oostveldt was born in Antwerp in 1928. A student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, IO Van Oostveldt developed a fascination for geometric shapes and innovative techniques that would become the foundation of her unique artistic vision.
The exhibition Geometrically Wired. IO Van Oostveldt: Between Clothing and Art highlights the life and work of the artist and explores her multifaceted creative work, bringing together her design drawings, clothing creations and visual art.
IO Van Oostveldt met Mark Verstockt (1930-2014) while studying. They married and had three children. Mark Verstockt would play an important role in the Belgian art scene. In the 1950s, his work was affiliated with the ZERO movement. By the mid-1960s, it had its own consistently geometric language of form. In those years, IO had begun designing and making clothing, initially for herself and later for others. By the early 1970s, her one-of-a-kind creations, often knitted pieces, were in demand. She continued to follow her own path, and developed, for example, a chenille yarn with lurex.
“I was an outsider, not a real fashion designer. I did what I wanted to do, and had no pretensions about it. I always wanted to try out things that were not available: different materials and experiments.”
Her design drawings and visual art all reveal her fascination with geometric shapes, (recuperated) materials and new techniques. Although many of her clothing designs were never realised, they give expression to a strong, avant-garde signature. As artists, Mark Verstockt and IO Van Oostveldt influenced one another’s work, but as ‘the wife of Mark Verstockt’, IO remained in the shadows as she cared for her family. This exhibition brings insight into her multisided, creative world.
Geometrically Wired. IO Van Oostveldt: Between Clothing and Art is showing until 30 July 2023 at MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp, Belgium.
Curator MoMu: Romy Cockx
Exhibition Design: Johanna Trudzinski
Graphic Design: Paul Boudens
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MoMu.be
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