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">Matt Portrait<span class="title_comma">, </span></span><span class="year">2002</span>
<span class="title">Harrie Portrait<span class="title_comma">, </span></span><span class="year">2001</span>
<span class="title">Renee Portrait<span class="title_comma">, </span></span><span class="year">2001</span>
<span class="title">Thomas Portrait<span class="title_comma">, </span></span><span class="year">2001</span>
Erwin Olaf
Matt Portrait, 2002
Chromogenic print
39 3/8 x 29 1/2 in.
Edition of 10
© Erwin Olaf

The ‘Paradise’ series was taken as an ode to Amsterdam’s most renowned nightclub Club Paradiso. The shoot took place at the club’s New Year’s Eve party in 2000 which was circus themed. In these celebratory and extravagant images, Olaf chose to play along with the fantasy that comes from a night of festivities and photograph different sections of the club. 

 

The portraits feature close-up shots of individual night club goers. By focusing solely on their faces, Olaf manages to break the illusion of indulgence and mystique that features in the series. The individuals’ facial expressions range from exaggerated smiles to screams, with sweaty or tearful faces and sometimes consternation. In displaying the aftermath of the wild night, Olaf simultaneously breaks and creates the illusion of joy and exhilaration, leading the onlooker to question what is real and what is not.