Erwin Olaf

Erwin Olaf was born on 2 June 1959 in Hilversum, the Netherlands, as Erwin Olaf Springveld. He went to the School for Journalism in Utrecht, where he graduated in 1981 as a writing journalist. After finishing his formal education, he gained recognition as a photographer. In 1988 he was awarded the first prize in the Young European Photographer competition for the series 'Chessmen, An Attempt to Play the Game', which was an important break-through. Fashion photography is one of the specialisms he became worldwide famous for. Some of his pictures are taboo-breaking, showing rather shocking subject matter. Yet, all of his photographs are highly stylized and very aesthetic, with a strong sense of staging. The atmosphere in the photographs is determined by the juxtaposition of beauty and violence, eroticism and humour, phantasy and reality. Questioning the usual assumptions and preconceived judgements about our life and the lives of other people, Olaf's work shamelessly confronts us with the incongruities of common norms and values. Since 1991 he also makes films and videos drawing upon a visual language that is very similar to his photography. For various Dutch television networks he produced short films, video- and music clips. During the last years, he has increasingly concentrated on autonomous video and installation work playing with the traditions of art, fashion, television and cinema. His photography as well as his moving images have won multiple awards in- and outside the Netherlands.