Erwin Olaf

Erwin Olaf was born in 1959 in Hilversum, The Netherlands, and passed away in 2023 in Groningen, The Netherlands. He lived and worked in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

 

During his lifetime Olaf was an internationally renowned artist whose diverse practice centred around society’s marginalized individuals including women, people of colour, and the LGBTQ+ community. In 2019, following the acquisition of 500 works by in the Rijksmuseum, Olaf became a Knight of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands. On the occasion Taco Dibbits, the director of the Rijksmuseum, called Olaf “one of the most important photographers of the final quarter of the 20th century”.

<span class="title">The Bank – The Secretary<span class="title_comma">, </span></span><span class="year">2018</span>
<span class="title">The Family Visit<span class="title_comma">, </span></span><span class="year">2018</span>
<span class="title">The Family Visit – The Niece<span class="title_comma">, </span></span><span class="year">2018</span>
Erwin Olaf
The Bank – The Secretary, 2018
Chromogenic print
Large format, edition of 10: 46 7/8 x 35 1/4 in. (119 x 89.4 cm.)
Small format, edition of 12: 29 1/2 x 22 1/4 in. (75 x 56.4 cm.)
© Erwin Olaf

Palm Springs is the third chapter of the larger project including the ‘Berlin’ and ‘Shanghai’ series, through which Olaf explores the changing developments and cultures of three different cities. In ‘Palm Springs’, Olaf highlights many social and cultural issues in American society, touching upon themes such as homosexuality, racial injustice, gender inequality and reproductive rights.