
Mass and Individual Moving (MAIM)
Tuesday, February 20, artist Raphael August Opstaele passed away. In the years 1960-1970 he was the founder and leading figure of Mass and Individual Moving, our most important artist collective to express the mass and the individual on the move in a monumental way with the actual world serving as exposition hall. He also founded the Academy of Mecano Art and Inventus.
The imaginative monumental sculptures with titles like Gloria, Phoenix, Heroes of the Great Paradox, World Windorgan and Pioneer were shown in public spaces. With Pioneer, a gigantic printer that worked on solar energy, Opstaele traveled to the Moroccan desert. While representing Belgium on the Biennale of Venice in 1972 with the Butterfly Project, 10,000 butterflies were released on St. Mark’s Square. Bio–Art avant la lettre.
Originally hailing from advertising, Raphael made the leap to an art form with a utopian message and a critical-humorous impact. He was involved in the Verbeke Foundation from day one, and some of his sculptures are on permanent display here. As silent witnesses who have lost none of their strength. He also gave shape to our logo by means of the typeface Mecano, which he designed.
On Saturday 17 March at 15.00h a commemoration of Raphael will be held at the Verbeke Foundation. You are cordially invited to attend.






Space Station (1995)

Anatomy of Delight (1996)