Erwin Olaf (Dutch 1959 - 2023)
Shanghai Hangpu, The Journey, from the series 'Shanghai', 2017
archival print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag
signed, titled, dated and numbered '1/12' (on the artist's label on the backing)
image size 59.5 x 79.8 cm., frame size 65.5 x 85.5 cm.

Condition: Apparently in excellent condition, unexamined out of the frame. Framed behind glass.

Notes: Artist & Practice

Erwin Olaf's art explores the human experience through meticulously staged scenes. His distinctive aesthetic is highly stylized and perfectly polished, yet his work penetrates deep beneath a pretty facade. Instead, the heart of Olaf's work addresses social issues, taboos, and conventions, often through subtle or mysterious details.

Context

Part of international travel series exploring identity and loneliness as well as East-West identity and melancholic grandeur through cinematic staging.

Notes

Collections: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, Paris
Museum Ludwig, Cologne. In March 2023, Erwin Olaf was awarded the Medal of Honor for Art and Science by the Dutch Royal Family. In honour of Olaf’s lifetime activism for the right to self-expression and queer rights, the Erwin Olaf Foundation was founded in 2023.




Provenance:
Flatland Gallery, Amsterdam.
Acquired at the above by the present owner in 2018.