Erwin Olaf (b. 1959) is a Dutch photographer and video artist who has lived and worked in Amsterdam since the early '80s. Mixing photojournalism with studio photography, Olaf emerged on the international art scene in 1988 when his series Chessmen was awarded first prize in the Young European Photographer Competition. Today, his work explores issues of gender, sensuality, humor, despair, and grace.

Olaf's work has been exhibited widely and featured in solo exhibitions at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, the Hague Museum of Photography, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the Chelsea Art Museum in New York City. He has also worked as an advertising photographer, shooting campaigns for Diesel Jeans, BMW, Microsoft, and Nintendo. This year, the Aperture Foundation published a monograph of his work.

This image is from his most recent series, Hope. Another collection of his work, Grief, is currently on display at Hamilton's Gallery in London. Read our listing for more info.

View more images! Take a look at Artkrush's most recent slideshow and Activate's The Week in Pictures.