[Gallery Walk] Capturing the Fear Felt by the Elderly in the COVID-19 Era

Dutch Photographer Erwin Olaf to Exhibit at Gongkeunhye Gallery Next Month
Completes Works Reflecting His Experiences, "I Want to Face the Fear of the Unknown"

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] "It depicts a day in the life of an old man who suddenly realizes that he is living in a world overturned by a vast unknown force. I want people to look at the fear the old man feels."

Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf (61) explained the 'April Fool 2020' exhibition in a written interview with Asia Economy Newspaper. 'April Fool 2020' will be held from the 2nd of next month at the Gong Geunhye Gallery in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The exhibition features about 10 photographs and a 20-minute video work composed of three panels.

The photographer himself appears in the photos. Olaf is depicted as a clown wearing white sanitary gloves, a white mask covering his entire face, and a conical hat. Although comical, the absence of anyone around evokes a sense of fear.

In the photos, Olaf pulls a cart in an empty parking lot and goes grocery shopping at a supermarket. He feels despair and fear in front of the shelves emptied by panic buying and sits alone, shoulders slumped, on a bench in an empty park in Amsterdam. Returning home, he lethargically gazes out the window at the empty street. This portrayal of the artist reflects our current reality.

Erwin Olaf [Photo by Gong Geunhye Gallery]

He completed these works based on his experience of not being able to buy even half of the items on his shopping list at the supermarket. This exhibition is a self-portrait and emotional record of Olaf himself during the COVID-19 pandemic era. Since he suffers from a congenital lung disease, the fear caused by COVID-19 was likely greater for him than for others.

"During the first week after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, I literally felt almost paralyzed by an unprecedented fear of the unknown. People all hid behind walls for safety, and even when I called, there was no answer."

The exhibition title expresses the artist's hope that the COVID-19 situation is a lie like an April Fool's prank.

Fortunately, Olaf said he feels hope in the fact that people are reconnecting regardless of status or background. "Realizing that we are all together seems to inspire us to solve future problems together. Bonds and friendships have become stronger again."

He is currently busy preparing for his next series, focusing on capturing nature with his camera. "This work was also inspired by the COVID-19 crisis. Humans have become increasingly arrogant and hostile toward all the nature surrounding us."

Olaf is a world-renowned photographer from Hilversum, North Holland, in the central-western Netherlands. He won the Young European Photographer Award in 1988 and received the Knight of the Order of the Golden Lion from the Dutch government last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.