Olaf Holzapfel

In his diverse artistic oeuvre, Olaf Holzapfel explores a broad spectrum of materials, from straw to digitally created drawings.

Biography of Olaf Holzapfel

Olaf Holzapfel was born in 1967 in Dresden, Germany. His academic and professional journey includes significant stints at prestigious institutions. From 1996 to 2001, he studied at HfBK Dresden (Art Academy). From 2001 to 2003, he was a Meisterschüler under Prof. Ralf Kerbach at the HfBK Dresden (Art Academy) in Germany. Following this, he spent the years 2002-2003 as a research student at the NID in Ahmedabad under the guidance of Prof. Singanapalli Balaram.

In 2002, Holzapfel also served as an Artist in Residence at Columbia University in New York. He then held a visiting professorship at the Art Academy Karlsruhe in Germany from 2006 to 2008. He continued his academic contributions as a visiting professor in Sculpture/Bildhauerei at HfBK Hamburg, Germany, from 2008 to 2010.

In 2014, the artist received the Gerhard Altenbourg-Preis. 

His work has been exhibited internationally, including at documenta 14 in 2017 and the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011. Recent solo shows include "Das Gewachsene – Ce qui a grandi" at Xippas Geneva in Geneva (2023), "In Vielem und Einem" at Galerie Daniel Marzona in Berlin (2022), "The Colors of Woodland" at Galerie Sabine Knust in Munich (2022), and "Las Calles De La Ciudad – El Orden Del Amplio País" at Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Salta in Argentina (2021).

Additionally, Holzapfel's works have been featured in numerous group exhibitions held at various galleries and museums worldwide, including Fondation CAB in Brussels, Griffin Art Projects in North Vancouver, Galerie Xippas in Paris, Galerie Central in Tunis, MAC in Lyon, Negev Museum of Art in Negev, among other esteemed venues.

Currently, the artist lives and works in Berlin, Germany. 

Olaf Holzapfel's Art Style

Born in a country that no longer exists and coming of age amidst the East-West divide of the Cold War, Olaf Holzapfel has always been fascinated by boundaries, demarcations, and frontiers—or more specifically, by interstitial spaces and the possibilities they hold. Fluent in the languages of sculpture, painting, film, and photography, his work often explores the formal negotiation between two-dimensional images (or planes) and three-dimensional forms (or spaces).