Artista: Erwim Olaf

Hilversum (The Netherlands), 1959. He studied journalism at the University of Utrecht and in the early 1980s, then moved to Amsterdam where he worked as assistant to Andre Ruigrok. His early work lies between creative and commercial photography, and black and white reportage, most notable in which is a sense of homosexual liberation. His attractive, occasionally disturbing images do not shy away from social criticism. His 1999 series Mature is very representative of his work, and consists in portraits of elderly women striking provocative poses and wearing outfits in keeping with pin-ups from the 1940s. The resulting pictures are unsettling because the women are not young, yet they demonstrate that there are no age limits to sensuality and attractiveness. His later series were to acquire an air of mystery, focusing on interiors and wardrobes from the 40s, creating small, disjointed stories. www.erwinolaf.com