April 07, 2022
Erwin Olaf | Portfolio
Erwin Olaf (b.1959) is a renowned Dutch artist from Hilversum, The Netherlands. Currently, he lives and works in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Olaf's diverse practice centers around society’s marginalized individuals, including women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. In 2019, the artist became a Knight of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands after 500 works from his oeuvre were added to the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Taco Dibbits, Rijksmuseum director, called Olaf “one of the most important photographers of the final quarter of the 20th century”. Erwin Olaf has published several books including from the most recent ones: I am (2019) published in 4 different languages, April Fool (2020) and Strange Beauty (2021).
"What many young photographers think now is that people will get bored with their style very quickly but I think that as soon as you find a style and a language, you need to stick to it for at least 5 years. You need at least 5 years to become really good at something, and we need 5 years to see you." - Erwin Olaf
