Harmonious Thinking – A look at the archive of Mark Verstockt & Io Van Oostveldt
Mark Verstockt (1930-2014) was a painter, sculptor, graphic designer and author. He attended classes at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where he met his wife, Io Van Oostveldt (1928). The couple married in 1953 and had three children. Mark further immersed himself in abstraction, minimalism and the study of geometric shapes.
In the 1970s, Io made clothing and design sculptures, later her work evolved towards the visual arts. Using archival documents and works from the legacy of both artists, this presentation provides a picture of their practice, thought and mutual influence. It provides insight into the research around the constructivist and ‘geometric’ artistic movements in Antwerp and beyond.
Since 2017, the M HKA has been showing varying archive presentations. The museum is taking various steps to support visual art archives and legacies, with a view to their preservation, documentation and disclosure. The programme of archive presentations is compiled by Evi Bert and Jan De Vree.
With special thanks to Io Van Oostveldt, Katarina Verstockt, Anthony Driscoll, Eléa De Winter, Anthe Heyninck, Tijs Visser, Johan Pas, Raoul Van den Boom and Verbeke Foundation.
Items
Mark Verstockt - De Genesis van de Vorm (Van chaos tot geometrie), 1982
The Genesis of form is an inexhaustible source of information on the evolution and meaning / symbolism of basic signs and forms , from the most remote prehistoric times to the present day , throughout the world cultures. An indispensable tool for artists, designers, computer scientists , students, historians, semioticians ... and for those interested in visual communication in the broadest sense .
Mark Verstockt - Skulptuur, 1988
Numbered (000279) and signed by the artist.
SKULPTUUR was commissioned by Imschoot Publishers in Ghent on the occasion of their fiftieth anniversary. It was designed by Mark Verstockt and realized in the spring of 1988. The edition is limited to 1,000 copies and was numbered from 1 to 1000. The artist signed the edition.
Turkije, 1969