Operating with curatorial open-mindedness is a constant for Boswijk, whose career has been guided by what is now a well-honed creative intuition. Olaf’s professional pursuits began in Amsterdam over two decades ago as a journalist and radio host, driven by a desire to share beloved audio selections far and wide. Assuming the role of music director and sometime resident DJ at Club 11, Olaf transformed his burgeoning aural aesthetics into tangible forms. From Club 11’s embers, seeking to build the kind of place he could not find elsewhere in the city, Trouw was born. Speak to virtually any Amsterdam electronic artist or DJ who came of age in the 2010s, and you will hear the venue mentioned with a special reverence. This is a testament to Trouw’s vital role as a world-renowned club, led by the vision of co-founder and owner Boswijk. Likewise, De School, which he also co-founded, is held in similar esteem. 

A singular ability to cultivate spaces for creatives to flourish can be felt across all of his endeavours. In search of adventures farther flung, after laying the groundwork for De School, Boswijk set off in a camper van across North and South America, beaming out roadtrip dispatches in his Radio Balthasar podcast. In 2018, he landed in Chile, and soon after set-up Valley Of The Possible, a centre for regenerative culture. Nestled in a remote valley next to the Sierra Nevada volcano, the residency program invited and challenged artists, scientists, thinkers, and makers to imagine alternative perspectives on our relationship with the natural world.

TrouwAmsterdam, 2008, photography by Fotomeisjes