“The shots I took in Berlin were meant to be restless. They should provoke an unsettled feeling in my mind, but also in your mind. They should be like a nightmare.”
—Erwin Olaf
In his Berlin series, Erwin Olaf photographed a range of costumed characters in various historical settings throughout the city including the Stadtbad Neukölln; Clarchens ballhaus; and, as seen here, Olympiastadion. In each location Olaf photographed himself walking up a set of stairs; his role as photographer indicated by the camera in his left hand. Due to his own personal health issues, stairs became the perfect embodiment of a nightmare scenario, brilliantly enhanced by his deft use of chiaroscuro and the seemingly endless ascent before him.