Erwin Olaf: Volume II

Erwin Olaf: Volume II
Category: Photographer Monographs & Art Books
Reviews: star star star star star
Author: Francis Hodgson, Erwin Olaf:
Publisher: Aperture
Publication Date: 2014
Print Length: 112 pages
Language: English
Price: paid paid paid

Erwin Olaf's approach to storytelling is uniquely evocative and enticingly ambiguous. Critic Francis Hodgson writes of Olaf's images, "They lead us to a "Stimmung" (a sense of atmosphere) which is broad enough to repay many second readings of the pictures and so keep us viewers interested." In this presentation of his most recent work, Olaf expands on his established, highly polished and stylized color studio images to include a series drawn from his sculptural video installation, "Keyholes"; a group of black-and-white images he has exhibited as carbon prints; and photographs created on location in Berlin--a departure from the constructed mises-en-scène of earlier work produced in his Amsterdam studio. "Erwin Olaf: Volume II" showcases the artist at the height of his powers, as an artisan of atmosphere and a craftsman who uses high polish to both perverse and seductive effect.

Erwin Olaf (born 1959) is a Dutch photographer known for his highly stylized, daring and often provocative work addressing social issues and taboos. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Johannes Vermeer Award (2011), a Lucie Award (2008) and Photographer of the Year in the International Color Awards (2006). His work is shown in museums and galleries around the world. Olaf also received a commission to design the new national side of the Dutch Euro, launched in 2013.

Selected Books by This Photographer

Erwin Olaf: Freedom

Jan 2026 - Hannibal Publishers

Erwin Olaf


Erwin Olaf: Strange Beauty

2021 - Hatje Cantz

Erwin Olaf, Roger Diederen


Erwin Olaf

2020 - Silvana Editoriale

by Erwin Olaf, Walter Guadagnini


Erwin Olaf: I Am

2019 - Aperture

Erwin Olaf, Laura Stamps

 

Erwin Olaf: Own

2012 - Lido

Erwin Olaf

 

Erwin Olaf (Aperture)

2008 - Aperture Foundation

Erwin Olaf

 

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