Photography Exhibition Galerie XII Los Angeles: Erwin Olaf – Recent Works

Galerie XII Los Angeles announces the first exhibition of Erwin Olaf on the West Coast.

Considered as the most important Dutch photographer of his generation, Olaf is celebrated for his technical elements: painterly lighting, formalist composition, and also for his bold and sometimes controversial approach.

In 2022, Olaf decided to celebrate the 90^th birthday of his longtime friend, the choreographer Hans van Manen, with a stunning series of photographs entitled Dance in Close-Up. Together, they selected specific moments from van Manen’s iconic choreographies and captured details. Olaf shows us body fragments, arched backs, contracted muscles, bent toes, pointed fingers…

“Ballet inspires me. Human beings have the capacity to express themselves through many art forms, but when it comes to dance – and especially classical modern ballet – I am always amazed by that unbelievably elevated form of expression. It’s so precise and so incredibly skilled; I admire that enormously.” Erwin Olaf.

But of course, being in Los Angeles, we also had to include some images from his iconic body of work Palm Springs (2018). There are pools and bankers, soldiers and girls, and the incredible light of the desert, references to the California dream.

www.galeriexii.com

Opening hours : Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm and by appointment.