Homage Erwin Olaf (Palm Springs)
Don't Stop Dreaming, 2025
About the Work
Don’t Stop Dreaming is a photographic series shaped by solitude, memory, and emotional reflection. Created in the deserts of Joshua Tree and Palm Springs, the work explores how quiet, expansive landscapes can act as mirrors for internal transformation. Through a restrained use of light, form, and space, each image becomes a moment of stillness—an attempt to locate emotional clarity within silence.
At its core, the series is not about the desert as a physical place, but as a metaphor: for grief, resilience, and the quiet possibility of becoming. Among the works is Homage Erwin Olaf (Palm Springs)—a tribute to the late Dutch photographer whose creative influence and personal presence continue to shape my path. This series marks a return to simplicity and presence—where the act of seeing becomes the act of remembering.
A Personal Tribute
My creative connection with Erwin Olaf began with a single letter—one that quietly altered the course of my life. As Olaf wrote in the 2020 foreword to Paradise: "It must have been about fifteen years ago when I received a letter in the mail, containing some photographs of a boy from a village not far from the Netherlands' largest harbor. The letter was signed by Ruben van Schalm, and from the pictures, Ruben himself watched his spectators with a mixture of embarrassment and ambition. I was intrigued by his fragile, pale appearance. Offering himself as model for me to work with, it certainly seemed worth the time to extend him an invitation for a photo shoot in my studio."
That invitation marked the beginning of a long creative exchange between us. I appeared in Erwin’s photographic series Fall, took part in commercial shoots—including a campaign with DJ Roger Sanchez—acted in his short film La Tristesse Riche, and collaborated on the historical tableau Leidens Ontzet, now part of the collection at Museum De Lakenhal. Each of these experiences deepened our creative bond and helped me better understand his way of seeing the world.
In the same foreword, Erwin reflected on my commitment and our shared sensibility: Our photographic introduction resulted in some interesting photographs and ever since then, I have had the pleasure to work with Ruben on several occasions in photography and film, as well as the hedonistic parties that I have organized in Paradiso (Amsterdam's liberal temple of pop culture) with an emancipating goal, for often suppressed (sexual) minorities in our society. As both an actor and model, Ruben always contributed to the process. In every project we have worked on together, he has given his full 100 percent. I remember the time when he asked, dressed as Commedia dell'Arte's miserable Pierrot, if I needed an extra 'kitsch' element. When I answered affirmatively, it was a matter of seconds before tears began to run down Ruben's face, his eyes expressing an immeasurable sadness.
Erwin also reflected on what he saw in my work—on the details, the sensibility. He wrote: "The artist has not only succeeded in capturing the beauty of man, but also the fragility of our surroundings... Ruben van Schalm stands on the shoulders of male nude photographers of prior generations, paying a tribute with this series... I am particularly curious and eagerly looking forward to seeing how Ruben's work will develop over the years to come."
Although Erwin never saw Don't Stop Dreaming, it was his belief in my potential—and his quiet encouragement to keep going—that helped bring this series into being. Homage Erwin Olaf (Palm Springs) is my way of saying thank you. A gesture of gratitude, in image form.
Erwin’s work continues to be celebrated internationally. His major retrospective, Erwin Olaf: Freedom, will be on view at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam from October 11, 2025 to March 1, 2026. Curated by Charles Landvreugd, in collaboration with Studio Erwin Olaf. Learn more
Selected quotes are taken from Erwin Olaf’s foreword to my 2020 monograph, Paradise. Source: Read the full foreword (PDF)
To order a print, [click here]. 100% of proceeds will be donated to the Foundation Erwin Olaf. This edition is available at a reduced price to support broader accessibility and help expand the Foundation’s impact.
Edition Details
- Title: Homage Erwin Olaf ( Palm Springs )
- Artist: Ruben van Schalm
- Series: Don't Stop Dreaming
- Edition: 10 + 2 Artist's Proofs
- Size: 11x14 INCH
- Print: Archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta 315 gsm
- Includes: Certificate of Authenticity, signed and numbered by the artist
- Shipping: Worldwide
- Framing: Available upon request
- Proceeds: 100% donated to the Foundation Erwin Olaf
About the Foundation Erwin Olaf
Established in 2024, the Foundation Erwin Olaf carries forward Olaf's legacy by supporting freedom of expression, cultural participation, and photography as a vehicle for change. The foundation funds socially engaged art projects, supports vocational art students (MBO), and promotes inclusive creative education.
Staff
- Petra Keijser - Director
- Piek Kock - Head of Education
- Meyke Werdmölder - Project Manager
Board
- Shirley den Hartog - Chair
- Feriet Tunc - Secretary
- Erwin Venema - Treasurer
