Erwin Olaf, on beauty and fall
Director Michiel van Erp
Countries Netherlands
Duration 50 min
Synopsis
Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf (1959) is on the threshold of an important year: his most recent photographic series, Hope, Grief and Rain appear to have given him an international breakthrough. His work has been criticised since the 1980s as being produced merely for its shock value, thus eliminating it as art. But now that important art dealers and museums all over the world are showing his works, and huge crowds are visiting his expositions, it seems as if his years of hard work will finally lead to serious recognition. Yet this is occurring, of all times, in a period of his life in which Erwin Olaf is contending with emphysema, a debilitating disease that obliges him to deal cautiously with his energy reserves. Whether his body can keep up with his work pace is uncertain. In ERWIN OLAF on beauty and fall, director Michiel van Erp provides a vulnerable portrait of the most highly visible Dutch artist working abroad. How can you get your work hung in the right museum? By whom do you let yourself be influenced in your choice of subject matter? Van Erp follows Erwin Olaf at important openings and expositions, and filmed the photographer during intensive fotoshoots.
Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf (1959) is on the threshold of an important year: his most recent photographic series, Hope, Grief and Rain appear to have given him an international breakthrough. His work has been criticised since the 1980s as being produced merely for its shock value, thus eliminating it as art. But now that important art dealers and museums all over the world are showing his works, and huge crowds are visiting his expositions, it seems as if his years of hard work will finally lead to serious recognition. Yet this is occurring, of all times, in a period of his life in which Erwin Olaf is contending with emphysema, a debilitating disease that obliges him to deal cautiously with his energy reserves. Whether his body can keep up with his work pace is uncertain. In ERWIN OLAF on beauty and fall, director Michiel van Erp provides a vulnerable portrait of the most highly visible Dutch artist working abroad. How can you get your work hung in the right museum? By whom do you let yourself be influenced in your choice of subject matter? Van Erp follows Erwin Olaf at important openings and expositions, and filmed the photographer during intensive fotoshoots.