Photographer Erwin Olaf exhibits at KYOTOGRAPHIE photography festival in Japan

KYOTOGRAPHIE is a multifaceted international photography festival where collections of works by internationally renowned artists are exhibited in historic buildings as well as modern architectural spaces in and around Kyoto. Exhibitions may feature the work of traditional artisans, while others highlight collaborations with the most modern technology. This year's edition of the festival runs from 18 September to 17 October.

As part of this year’s KYOTOGRAPHIE edition, Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf will be exhibiting a collection of work mainly consisting of two series - the portraits and scenery photography from “Im Wald (in the forest)”, the video and the photography work from “April Fool”. The series “Im Wald” depicts a number of photographs inspired by Romantic paintings from the 19th century, created in Northern Europe. The works depict the absolute power of nature and the human indifference towards nature, along with the enormous consequences thereof. In “April Fool”, Olaf himself became a model, illustrating a human being’s daily life during self-quarantine in a pandemic crisis.

In addition to the exhibition, KYOTOGRAPHIE has, together with NL-Kanto, organized an interview with Erwin Olaf. This event will take place on 18 September at 17:30 Kyoto time, and will also be streamed online. During the interview, Olaf and photography critic and historian Shirabe Bunmei will discuss Olaf’s long and prolific career. Through this event, we learn more about his process and the inspiration behind his series shown in KYOTOGRAPHIE, along with other prominent works created throughout his seminal career.

Born in 1959 in Hilversum, The Netherlands. Lives and works in Amsterdam. Erwin Olaf is an internationaly exhibiting artist whose diverse practice centers around society’s marginalized individuals, including women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. In 2019, Olaf became a Knight of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands after 500 works from his oeuvre were added to the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

NL-Kanto is the interdisciplinary cultural programme of the Netherlands in Japan on the occasion of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, initiated by DutchCulture in collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan. The programme’s goal is to promote cultural exchange between the Netherlands and Japan at large. NL-Kanto presents the outcome of ongoing collaborative projects at the centre of global attention across Japan’s Kanto area throughout 2021. Themes of ‘inclusivity’ and ‘beyond the capital’ are at the centre of focus in this programme.

Would you like to receive more information regarding opportunities for cultural exchange with Japan? Feel free to contact our Japan advisor Ian Yang with your questions. He can inform you about the latest developments in the country, relevant contacts and cultural venues.