Sexy, lurid and satirical: Elizabeth Renstrom’s rose-tinted photography hides a deeper meaning

Having worked with the biggest brands you can think of, the photographer somehow still manages to strike a balance between levity and technical finesse.

Date
9 January 2023

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Elizabeth Renstrom lures viewers into her deep pastel-hued images with “bright poppy colours, fuzzy textures, and generally softer materials”. But, for the Brooklyn-based photographer, it’s all a gentle rouse to “disarm people before they're confronted with the sometimes thornier topics” covered in her work. And yes, it’s easy to catch yourself ogling at glossy subjects drenched in Y2K nostalgia, but set aside the rose-tinted glasses and you’ll see Elizabeth’s satirical musings. This includes explorations on “personal spaces, how visual culture affects us, and our collective connection to beauty and products”, she says.

Having been the senior photo editor at The New Yorker and, prior to that, Vice Media, Elizabeth knows what makes an image work. However, she continuously colours outside the lines. Her prop-driven still life and portraiture studio work, which she describes as “saturated & satirical”, finds inspiration in artists like Adrienne Salinger, Terrell Davis, Sue De Beer as well as in filmmakers like Todd Solondz, Karyn Kusama and Céline Sciamma. It’s this mix that leaves the work oozing with charm.

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Elizabeth Renstrom: Spice Girls/New York Times, April 2022 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2022)

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Elizabeth Renstrom: Bad Taste/Time Magazine, May 2022 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2022)

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Elizabeth Renstrom: Early Aughts Celebrity Perfume/Basenote Bitch, February 2020 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2022)

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Elizabeth Renstrom: Country Apple/Basenote Bitch, June 2020 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2022)

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Elizabeth Renstrom: Claw Clips/New York Times, September 2022 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2022)

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Elizabeth Renstrom: Read My Lips/Bust Magazine, March 2022 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2022)

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Elizabeth Renstrom: Women Reconsidered/New York Times, April 2022 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2022)

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Elizabeth Renstrom: The Future Is Female/BOGO Pussy Hat, April 2019 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2019)

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Elizabeth Renstrom: Wet Leg/The New Yorker, April 2022 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2022)

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Elizabeth Renstrom: Pokemon Flower/June 2020 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2020)

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Elizabeth Renstrom: V.C. Andrews Girls/November 2021 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2021)

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Elizabeth Renstrom: Lisa Frank Blues/Lisa Frank Blues, March 2011 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2011)

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Elizabeth Renstrom: Britney/Zeit Campus Magazine, June 2022 (Copyright © Elizabeth Renstrom, 2022)

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About the Author

Roz Jones

Roz (he/him) is a freelance writer for It’s Nice That. He graduated from Magazine Journalism and Publishing at London College of Communication in 2022. He’s particularly interested in publications, archives and multimedia design.

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