Geometrically Wired. IO Van Oostveldt: Between Clothing and Art
'Geometrically Wired' highlights the life and work of the Belgian artist, IO Van Oostveldt, born in Antwerp in 1928. The exhibition explores her multifaceted creative work, bringing together her design drawings, clothing creations and visual art.
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Description of the exhibition
IO Van Oostveldt studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where she met Mark Verstockt (1930-2014). 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.
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IO Van Oostveldt, collage design, 1970-80 1/3
IO Van Oostveldt, collage from fashion magazine and lurex chenille, ca. 1977 2/3
IO Van Oostveldt, collage from fashion magazine and lurex chenille, ca. 1977 3/3
I was an outsider, not a real fashion designer. I did what I wanted to do, and had no pretentions about it. I always wanted to try out things that were not available: different materials and experiments.
IO Van Oostveldt, knitted poncho in artificial silk, ca. 1970 1/3
Creation by IO Van Oostveldt worn by Katie Verstockt, ca. 1977 2/3
IO Van Oostveldt, blouse in silkscreened voile, ca. 1991 3/3
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 realized, 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.
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Geometrically Wired. IO Van Oostveldt: Between Clothing and Art
Exhibition under the lead of
Curator MoMu: Romy Cockx
Exhibition design: Johanna Trudzinski
Graphic design: Paul Boudens
Campaign image: IO Van Oostveldt, collage design for poncho in lurex chenille, ca. 1977, © Photo: Stany Dederen.