11:15 am, 2020 © Erwin Olaf, Courtesy the artist and Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

Erwin Olaf combines two unique photographic series in his latest online exhibition “April Fool and In the Forest,” presented by the Edwynn Houk Gallery. Both series, created in the last year during the pandemic, explore ideas of waiting, transition, isolation and travel. Olaf’s work dances on the line of fiction and reality, conveying a sense of mystery that compels the viewer to pay closer attention to symbols and gestures, and question what they see.

“April Fool” is a sequential compilation of eleven photographs that were made in the spring of 2020, where Olaf placed himself in a scene that would be recognizable, but added an eerie twist. Casting himself as a Pierrot, Olaf wandered through the empty aisles of a grocery store, its parking lot, and other uninhabited places. Titling these photographs with timestamps in fifteen minute intervals, this series can be read like film stills from a movie, conveying emotions of isolation and reclusiveness that people are experiencing during this time of uncertainty.

9:45 am, 2020 © Erwin Olaf, Courtesy the artist and Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

In “9:45 am, 2020,” Olaf wears white face paint and a dunce cap while he walks through a vacant parking lot, pushing an empty shopping cart. There are no other figures or signs of life present, conveying a post-apocalyptic feeling. Despite the notion of panic these photographs prompt, this series gave Olaf a glimpse of hope during such an anxiety-ridden time — by shooting this series, and casting himself in it, Olaf gained a sense of control over his situation.

The second series featured, titled “Im Wald,” or “In the Forest,” is Olaf’s first project exclusively photographed outdoors. He traveled to the Bavarian and Austrian Alps with the intent of portraying the way humans interact with nature — specifically, how the tourism industry displays an arrogance towards it. He was inspired by 19th century Romantic painters and early landscape photographers, like Ansel Adams, when creating these timeless, dreamy scenes. To convey this message, Olaf did not want any human intervention or architecture to be present in the photographs.

Am Wasserfall, 2020 © Erwin Olaf, Courtesy the artist and Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

Similar to the vast landscapes, Olaf’s black and white portraits are very symbolic in their composition. Each portrait has the same structure; with branches protruding into the space and the figure placed in the center, visible from the chest upward. The individuals are physically intertwined with nature, and some portraits contain props like headphones, a selfie stick, plastic bottles, and a face mask, that place Olaf’s protagonists in the present moment.

Olaf’s “Am Wasserfall” depicts a reimagined painting by Thomas Eakins, where several boys are playing in a river. Olaf’s photograph features three nude figures at the base of a waterfall, with a woman of color “leading the pack” to represent a more modern portrayal of this work. For this series, Olaf used elaborate staging and a diverse cast of participants to capture the exact compositions he envisioned, and make a statement about the eternal power struggle between humankind and nature.

“April Fool and In the Forest” is available to view online through May 22.