FOR 4-6

ERWIN OLAF ‘GRIEF’ ON VIEW AT HASTED HUNT IN NYC APRIL 19

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NEW YORK CITY — Hasted Hunt announces new work by Dutch photographer and filmmaker Erwin Olaf in an exhibition titled “Grief,” on view April 19–June 2. This is Olaf’s second show with Hasted Hunt following his debut, “Rain and Hope.” An opening reception will be April 26 from 6 to 8 pm.

“Grief” is the third and final installment of a trilogy. These are enigmatic narratives and portraits, mostly of women, caught in private moments. The décor, the hairstyles, the clothes and the affect all reference the early 1960s in the United States. The color palette further underscores this.

Like his earlier work, these images are carefully staged in studio settings.

The models here seem caught in intensely private moments of reflection or indecision. Up close it appears that some of them have been crying. The reason for these tears is never explicit. Similarly the color are slightly drained. The images almost seem intended for a slick lifestyle editorial portfolio, but instead they are unexpectedly moody and haunting. The impact is unsettling.

The artist has been influenced by the styles of the early years of the John F. Kennedy White House and inspired by the social change of the 1960s. A specific inspiration was a well-known 1961 Mark Shaw portrait of Jackie Kennedy. Although a small child in the 1960s, Olaf has a powerful early memory of both Jack and Bobby Kennedy. He is now struck by the seeming globalization of the world, the rise of feminism and the middle class, and in particular, the pervasive influence of TV. A video accompanies the exhibition.

In the past year, Olaf has had solo shows in Antwerp, Utrecht, Prague, Brisbane, Milan and New York, and been part of group shows from Montreal to Seoul, Beijing and Paris.

Olaf lives and works in The Netherlands.

The gallery is at 529 West 20th Street, third Floor. For information 212-627-0006 or www.hastedhunt.com.