BORN IN HILVERSUM IN THE NETHERLANDS IN 1959, ERWIN OLAF HAS LIVED IN AMSTERDAM SINCE THE EARLY 1980S, WHERE HE CURRENTLY WORKS FROM HIS STUDIO IN A FORMER CHURCH HALL.

MIXING PHOTO-JOURNALISM WITH STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY, OLAF EMERGED ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE IN 1988 WHEN HIS HIGH-IMPACT ‘CHESSMEN’ SERIES WAS AWARDED FIRST PRIZE IN THE YOUNG EUROPEAN PHOTOGRAPHER COMPETITION, FOLLOWED BY AN EXHIBITION AT THE LUDWIG MUSEUM IN COLOGNE, GERMANY. SINCE THEN, IN EACH SUCCESSIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC SERIES, OLAF HAS CONTINUED TO EXPLORE ISSUES OF GENDER, SENSUALITY, HUMOUR, DESPAIR AND GRACE.


WHILE HIS EARLY WORK WAS PRINTED IN DOCUMENTARY-STYLE BLACK-AND-WHITE, HE SLOWLY INTRODUCED COLOR AND THEN DIGITAL MANIPULATION, AS WELL AS EXPLORING NEW POSSIBILITIES OFFERED BY VIDEO AND FILM. OFTEN ONE PHOTO SERIES IS CREATED IN DIRECT CONTRAST TO THE PREVIOUS ONE – ‘MATURE’ (1999), GOLDEN-HUED PORTRAITS OF ELDERLY WOMEN IN THE POSES OF KITTENISH SUPERMODELS; ‘FASHION VICTIMS’ (2000) AS A LEWD COMMENTARY ON THE CONSUMERISM OF SEX AND DESIGNER LABELS; ‘ROYAL BLOOD’ (2000) MINIMALIST WHITE-ON-WHITE PORTRAITURE DEPICTING THE VENGEFUL NATURE OF MEMBERS OF THE ARISTOCRACY WHO HAVE SUFFERED UNSAVOURY DEATHS; ‘PARADISE’ (2001), A DARK AND BAROQUE UNDERWORLD OF GLEEFUL CLOWNING AND LUNACY; ‘SEPARATION’ (2003) PORTRAYING AN ICE COLD AND INTROVERTED FAMILY IN A STERILE LIVING ROOM; AND HIS THREE MOST RECENT SERIES ‘RAIN’, ‘HOPE’ AND ‘GRIEF’, A RETURN TO CLASSIC IMAGERY WITH MINIMAL COMPUTER RETOUCHING.


http://www.erwinolaf.com/