Author: Olaf, ErwinDutch photographer Erwin Olaf emerged onto the Amsterdam photography scene in his early 20s. His first formal self-portrait shows influence from New York artists such as Andy Warhol & Robert Mapplethorpe, while also signalling the signatures of his aesthetic throughout his career. This volume includes a selection of series centred on the concept of performance, a recurring theme in the artist’s four-decade career. In particular, it delves into Olaf’s intimate and formal relationship with dance. The artist discussed ballet as a major source of inspiration for his personal work, in particular the precision and tension between beauty and gritty strength the genre requires. Olaf’s final completed series, 'Dance in Close Up' (2022), represents a collaboration between the artist and choreographer Hans van Manen, celebrating their shared vision of evocative gesture and the gifts of the stage. Additionally, throughout the 1980s, Olaf became a well-known and well-loved artist and gay rights activist in the Netherlands, photographing drag queens, bodybuilders, fetishists and celebrities at discotheques and other performances. Olaf’s artwork illuminated and celebrated underground scenes, claiming a spotlight for LGBTQ+ identities that expanded everyday possibilities for gay people throughout the Netherlands.Erwin Olaf was born in the Netherlands in 1959, and died there in 2023. His work is held in permanent collections such as the Rijksmuseum; the Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, Paris; and the Museum Ludwig, Cologne; and also circulates on the Dutch Euro coin.ISBN 9781636811529. Edwynn Houk Gallery. hb. 48 pages. 25 colour ills. 25.4 x 20.3 cm.available
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