Erwin Olaf

Born in 1959 in Hilversum (Netherlands), Erwin Olaf is a photographer who lives and works in Amsterdam. His work borrows both the codes of photojournalism and fashion photography, which he masters perfectly.

In 1988, the photographer was awarded the Young European Photographer prize for his Chessmen series, marking his entry on the international scene. Preferring to work in series, the artist tells tragic or sordid stories and constructs them through strong contrasts between the subjects photographed, the lights and the objects.

His work has been the subject of group and solo exhibitions around the world, notably at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Bilbao Art Center and the Museum of Modern Art in Moscow.