Erwin Olaf is Dutch
Erwin Olaf
photographer & filmmaker
1959 Born in Hilversum, The Netherlands.
1977 School for Journalism in Utrecht. He graduates in 1980 as a newspaper journalist with photojournalism as a subsidiary subject.
1980 Works in Amsterdam as assistant photographer to André Ruigrok, who teaches him photojournalism. First steps in 1981 as an independent photographer as a volunteer for the COC magazine Sek.
1983 Choreographer Hans van Manen brings him into contact with the work of Robert Mapplethorpe and Paul Blanca. Makes photographs for Jeugd en Samenleving (Youth and Society), the journal for workers in the welfare sector. Publishes photos in the French Gai-Pied, American The Advocate, British Gay Times, German Rosa Flieder, Dutch Gaykrant.
[G] Among Men / Among Women, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam
1984 Begins writing articles in Focus on aspects of photography. Olaf's work is removed from the photo exhibition in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam because the bodybuilding models in his pictures are not nude. This results in major publicity.
[G] Foto 1984, Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam
1985 He publishes his first booklet, Stadsgezichten (Faces of the City), a mixture of photojournalism and studio photography.
[G] The art of seduction, Melkweg, Amsterdam
1986 Does much commissioned work, including covers for the Vinyl music magazine, and begins working for the Haagse Post weekly magazine.
etc : see the full text + portrait at :
http://art.webesteem.pl/16/olaf_en.php
