Erwin Olaf: Internships

The coffee table book 'Erwin Olaf: Stages' presents performance-inspired and staged works by one of Holland's most acclaimed photographers. The photo book contains a selection of important series around the concept of performance, a recurring theme in the artist's four-decade career.

Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf (1959 - 2023) emerged on the Amsterdam photography scene in his early 20s. His first formal self-portrait shows influences from New York artists such as Andy Warhol and Robert Mapplethorpe, while it also indicates the hallmarks of his aesthetic throughout his career: laying props and details in an open narrative context, causing viewers to fantasize about what story is being told. In the 1980s, Olaf became a well-known and beloved artist and gay rights activist in the Netherlands. He photographed drag queens, bodybuilders, fetishists and celebrities in nightclubs and at other performances. Olaf's artworks highlighted and celebrated underground scenes, bringing LGBTQ+ identities into the spotlight and expanding everyday opportunities for gay people nationwide.

The photo book examines Olaf's intimate and formal relationship with dance. The artist discussed ballet as a major inspiration for his personal work, particularly the precision and tension between beauty and raw power that the genre demands. Olaf's latest completed series, Dance in Close Up (2022), represents a collaboration between the artist and choreographer Hans van Manen, and celebrates their shared vision of evocative gestures and the gifts of the stage.

Specifications
Title: Erwin Olaf: Internships
Publisher: Edwynn Houk Gallery
Size: 263 x 215 x 7 mm
Size: 378 pages
Language: English
Material: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781636811529

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