The work of Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf (b. 1959, Hilversum) is often daring and provocative, dealing with social conventions and taboos in a clever, highly stylized way. A former student of Journalism, as he declared for Vogue Italy recently, he felt the need to fabricate his own reality through imagery rather than documenting it.
His art works blend conceptual themes with studio photography techniques creating intentionally unsettling and perfectly polished compositions that have instant emotional impact and capture the essence of our contemporary life. Even his commercial works are acid comments on the crazed modern society, on consumerism of sex and designer brands, and on how glossy culture can become repressive.
Erwin Olaf launched as an international artist in 1988, when he received the Young European Photographer award for his photo series Chessmen, followed by an exhibition at the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, Germany.
Olaf's controversial and sophisticated style, both in photography and film making, with a special care for setting design and scenarios full of cultural references allured the advertising and fashion world. He won the Silver Lion at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival in 1999 with his worldwide campaign for Diesel Jeans, award that help build up his impressive record of art and media prizes.
