Erwin Olaf – Muses

The face is not what we show - it is what we hide. (Erwin Olaf)

Erwin Olaf (1959-2023) is one of the most important Dutch photographers. He was an exceptional artist whose photographic work was not only aesthetically brilliant, but also always socially provocative, moving and sensitizing.

Following his groundbreaking exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, f³ - freiraum für fotografie is presenting the photographer's first comprehensive exhibition in Berlin. Erwin Olaf - Muses is dedicated entirely to the artist's portraits, a central but often overlooked aspect of his oeuvre. The focus is on intimate, direct, unsparing and at the same time stylized studies of people, their desires, identities and masks. The presentation deliberately dispenses with Olaf's grand theatrical productions and opulent scenery and instead focuses on the faces of his protagonists as a mirror of personality, as a stage for emotion, vulnerability, pride and resistance.

Erwin Olaf's early black and white portraits play a central role in the exhibition - raw, direct and full of subversive energy. His rebellious spirit manifests itself in these photographs. They show men from the Dutch gay scene, activists, drag performers and social outsiders. As a pioneer of queer visibility, Erwin Olaf already gave a face to those who had been excluded from the public eye for decades in the 1970s and 1980s. In times of HIV stigmatization and conservative morals, he created a new queer self-image with his portraits - self-confident, sensual, melancholic and political. Olaf created images that were not only aesthetically pleasing, but also had emancipatory potential. His Ladies Hats series, for example, plays with gender roles and fashionable attitudes and celebrates flirting with the viewer.

In his series Squares (1983-2018), Olaf developed a new visual language: strictly composed individual portraits that nevertheless reveal intimate moments of emotional depth. The faces of those portrayed - often mute and introverted - reflect strength, determination, loss and the pressure to conform. The reduction to facial expression and gaze creates an emotional impact that is moving even without a backdrop.

Erwin Olaf has also regularly staged himself photographically, not out of vanity, but as an artistic act of self-assurance. His self-portraits are masquerades and reflections on age, sexuality, illness and transience. The works he created after his lung disease are particularly impressive: unsparing, fragile, but never tearful. They are unadorned testimonies to transience.

The exhibition was curated by Nadine Barth(@barthouseprojects) and Katharina Mouratidi(f³ - freiraum für fotografie), in collaboration with Shirley den Hartog(Foundation Erwin Olaf).

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The face is not what we show - it is what we conceal. (Erwin Olaf)

Erwin Olaf (1959-2023) is one of the most important Dutch photographers. He was an exceptional artist whose photographic work not only stands out aesthetically, but also consistently provokes, moves, and raises awareness on social issues.

Following his groundbreaking exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, f³ - freiraum für fotografie presents the first comprehensive retrospective of the photographer in Berlin. Erwin Olaf - Muses is devoted entirely to the artist's portraits-a central yet often overlooked aspect of Erwin Olaf's oeuvre. The focus is on intimate, direct, unsparing, and at the same time stylized studies of the human being, their desires, identities, and forms of self-presentation. The exhibition deliberately forgoes Olaf's large-scale theatrical stagings and opulent settings, instead directing attention to the faces of his protagonists as mirrors of personality-stages for emotion, vulnerability, pride, and resistance.

A central role in the exhibition is played by Erwin Olaf's early black-and-white portraits-raw, direct, and charged with subversive energy. In these photographs, his rebellious spirit takes shape. They depict men from the Dutch gay scene, activists, drag performers, and social outsiders. As a pioneer of queer visibility, Olaf was already giving a face in the 1970s and 1980s to those who had been excluded from public life for decades. In a time marked by HIV-related stigma and conservative moral attitudes, his portraits envisioned a new queer self-image-confident, sensual, melancholic, and political. Olaf created images that were not only aesthetically striking but also carried an emancipatory potential. His series Ladies Hats, for example, plays with gender roles and sartorial attitude, celebrating a flirtation with the viewer.

In his series Squares (1983-2018), Erwin Olaf developed a new visual language: rigorously composed individual portraits that nonetheless reveal intimate moments of emotional depth. The faces of the sitters-often silent and introspective-reflect strength, determination, loss, and the pressure to conform. Precisely through this reduction to facial expression and gaze, a powerful emotional intensity emerges-one that resonates even in the absence of any elaborate setting.

Erwin Olaf also repeatedly staged himself in his photography-not out of vanity, but as an artistic act of self-examination. His self-portraits are plays with masks and reflections on aging, sexuality, illness, and transience. Particularly striking are the works he created after his lung disease: unsparing, fragile, yet never self-pitying. They stand as unembellished testimonies to mortality.

The exhibition was curated by Nadine Barth(@barthouseprojects) and Katharina Mouratidi(f³ - freiraum für fotografie), in collaboration with Shirley den Hartog(Foundation Erwin Olaf).