Erwin Olaf

A top-down view of the art book Erwin Olaf: Strange Beauty, resting on a white surface. The cover features a photograph of a person seen from the back, wearing a black shirt and a white conical hat, standing in front of a textured gray wall.

The back cover of a hardcover book with a textured, mottled grey surface, shot against a plain white background. The bottom portion of the cover features two columns of white text describing the book's contents, publisher logos for Kunsthalle München and Hatje Cantz, and a barcode.

A grey hardcover book titled Erwin Olaf: Strange Beauty, laid diagonally on a white background. The cover features a photograph showing the back of a person wearing a black shirt and a white conical hat against a grey, textured wall.

An overhead shot of an open hardcover book on a white surface. The pages are a warm, light brown color. The left page is a chapter title, reading SKIN DEEP in a large, black sans-serif font, with 2015 printed underneath. The right page is filled with two columns of black text.

A studio shot of an open art book on a white surface. The book displays a wide photograph of a dimly lit, vintage ballroom. On the left page, three older women in theatrical, burlesque-style costumes sit at a table. On the right page, a young woman in a modern pink top, light skirt, and purple platform heels stands alone, looking back over her shoulder. The scene creates a stark contrast between generations and styles.

An open book shot from above on a white background. The pages display a series of five vertical portraits of different Asian women, varying in age and style. The cinematic images are identified in text as video stills from a work titled Moving Portraits.

The back of a person in a black jacket wearing a white paper cone on their head.

Erwin Olaf

Strange Beauty

€ 44.00

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By (artist): Erwin Olaf

Edited by: Roger Diederen, Anja Huber, Kunsthalle München

April 2021, 240 Pages, 300 Photos

Hardcover

248mm x 308mm

ISBN: 978-3-7757-4921-3

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de

According to Article 9(7) of the GPSR Regulation, no additional security information is required for books without supplements or special functions.

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| The Fracture Behind the High-Gloss Aesthetics

For his photographs and films, the Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf creates a world that has been staged down to its smallest detail. It seems very similar to ours, but its artificiality gives it an enigmatic sense. Still, with their visuals borrowed from the film and advertising industries, the works are only flawlessly striking on the surface; in fact, they deal with questions of democracy, equality, or self-determination. Marking Olaf's first comprehensive solo exhibition in Germany, the companion publication deals with essential aspects of Olaf's art and offers an attractive survey of his multifaceted oeuvre from the past forty years. Olaf's most recent works, some of which were created especially for the exhibition at the Kunsthalle Munich, will also be shown.

This book is also available in German.

ERWIN OLAF (*1959) studied journalism. He began his career as a photographer for magazines and journals, often with a socio-political background. In addition to commercial work, he produced a comprehensive body of artistic work from the 1980s onward. With his idiosyncratic style, Olaf quickly attracted international attention. His works are shown in exhibitions worldwide.

EXHIBITION
Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung München,
May 14-September 26, 2021