Houk, Edwynn - Erwin Olaf: Stages

Erwin Olaf: Stages

Author: Edwynn Houk

Genre: Photography, Art

Pages: 48

Publisher: Distributed Art

Release Date: November 26, 2024

Format: Hardcover

Synopsis:

A memorial exhibition catalog highlighting the performance-inspired and staged works of one of the Netherlands' most acclaimed photographers

Dutch 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 and Robert Mapplethorpe, while also signaling the signatures of his aesthetic throughout his career: layering props and details in open-ended narrative relationships, leading viewers to fantasize about what story is being told.

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.

Relevant Tags:

Photography, Erwin Olaf, Stages, Art, Photobook, Drag